In Order to Survive [Live]

From Jazziz
Will melodies, rhythms, textures, and improvisation styles similar to those heard on this windswept suite become the jazz norm in the 21st century? Probably not. Will this band go on to achieve mythical heights of success in both artistry and popularity? Well, since the quartet's drummer split last year, it's doubtful. But there are lessons to be learned from this album, and from the work of bassist William Parker in general - lessons that clearly are being absorbed by musicians and listeners alike. And what is learned today blooms tomorrow. Listen to the way this live album's centerpiece, the nearly 51-minute "Posium Pendasem #7," evolves. Nothing is forced. The musicians are each given a space on the canvas, and from there, Parker trusts the music to build on its own. Cooper Moore begins at the top of his piano, conjuring furies of ice and chilling clangs. Assif Tsahar, on tenor, and Rob Brown, on flute (and eventually alto sax), swirl in high and false registers, giving way to a panicking wind. Drummer Susie Ibarra responds by negotiating the rising gale, chittering in crevices, shimmering across water, and cracking tree limbs. And Parker alone rumbles with his bow in the dark bottom of the sea, a giant walking the ocean's floor. Parker has learned to build his music on simple rhythms and melodic motifs, and like Duke Ellington, he often crafts those ideas with the strengths of his musicians in mind. He knows that the unknown is out there, that it is more interesting than the known, and that he will find it if he sets his music free. The closing movement of Parker's suite is a requiem for the late drummer Denis Charles titled "Another Angel Goes Home." Its simple, wistful melody is seemingly its only building block, but it is more than enough. As it moves at a snail's pace, everyone stays true to it in their own way - funny how a string of llama toenails rattling on a snare drum can stop your heart. At 48, Parker is the most influential presence in the New York avant-garde. Through bands like In Order to Survive and his Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra - which, for the most part, use musicians much younger than he - he is, indeed, planting seeds.

In Order to Survive,William Parker,Black Saint,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

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