Evan Parker


Evan Shaw Parker is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation.
Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation. He has pioneered or substantially expanded an array of extended techniques. Critic Ron Wynn describes Parker as "among Europe's most innovative and intriguing saxophonists...his solo sax work isn't for the squeamish."

Early influences

Parker's original inspiration was Paul Desmond. Parker soon discovered the music of John Coltrane, who would be the primary influence throughout his career. Other important early influences were free jazz artists Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler and Jimmy Giuffre. Since the 1990s the influence of cool jazz saxophone players has also become apparent in his music, with Parker recording tributes to Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz on Time Will Tell and Chicago Solo.

Early career

Parker moved to London in 1966 and quickly became a part of the city’s improvised music scene based around the Little Theatre Club, joining John Stevens’ Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Along with guitarist Derek Bailey, he quickly became a leading figure in the improvised music movement in London and throughout Europe. One of his most lasting connections was with German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, whose trio he joined in 1970.

Solo soprano

Parker is perhaps best known for his solo performances. Originally dismissive of solo performance as being too close in nature to traditional composition, he was inspired to experiment with solo performance by the possibilities for musician-instrument interaction demonstrated by Derek Bailey’s solo guitar improvisations. Primarily using the soprano saxophone for these solo performances, the music makes use of a principle known as auditory streaming, where the use of wide registers creates the illusion of polyphony, which Parker terms “pseudo-polyphony”. This effect is achieved primarily by using multiphonics or harmonics in combination with circular breathing, polyrhythmic fingering, and split tonguing.

Electronic music

Working with electronic music since the early days of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble or with his duo with Paul Lytton, Parker has become increasingly interested in electronics, usually through inviting collaborators such as Phil Wachsmann, Walter Prati, Joel Ryan, Lawrence Casserley, Sam Pluta or Matthew Wright to process his playing electronically, creating a feedback loop and shifting soundscape. His various Electro-Acoustic Ensembles are a showcase for this area of his work, as well as the Trance Map project with Matthew Wight, which has included improvised live events across Europe and the US, involving other invited guest performers, with various Trance Map+ recordings released on psi, Intakt and FMR Records.

Later career and recordings

Parker has recorded a large number of albums both solo or as a group leader, and has recorded or performed with Peter Brötzmann, Michael Nyman, John Stevens, Derek Bailey, Keith Rowe, Joe McPhee, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Ikue Mori, Thurston Moore, Cyro Baptista, Milford Graves, George E. Lewis, Tim Berne, Mark Dresser, Dave Holland, Sylvie Courvoisier, and many others. Two key associations have been pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's trio with Parker and drummer Paul Lovens and a trio with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton. On Parker's 50th birthday, these two bands played a set apiece at a London concert; the results were issued by Leo Records as the 50th Birthday Concert.
Parker, Bailey, and Tony Oxley founded Incus Records in 1970. The label continued under Bailey's sole control after a falling-out between Bailey and Parker in the early 1980s, Oxley having left earlier. Parker curates Psi Records, which was issued by Martin Davidson's Emanem Records.
From 1999 to 2007 Parker co-ordinated, recorded and played in the Free Zone at the Appleby Jazz Festival, held in Cumbria, England. The recordings were issued through his Psi record label.
Although Parker's focus is free improvisation, he has appeared in conventional jazz contexts, such as Charlie Watts's big band and Kenny Wheeler's ensembles and participated in Gavin Bryars's recording After the Requiem, performing the composition "Alaric I or II" as part of a saxophone quartet.
Parker contributed to David Sylvian's albums Manafon and Died in the Wool.
Parker marked his 80th birthday with a three-concert series at Cafe Oto, London and .

Pop music

He also has appeared in pop-music contexts: on Scott Walker's Climate of Hunter, and on dub-influenced albums with Jah Wobble, the adventurous drum n bass duo Spring Heel Jack and rock group Spiritualized. He appeared on the b-side to Vic Reeves and The Wonderstuff's UK 1991 number-one hit "Dizzy", performing saxophone on "Oh, Mr Songwriter". At one point during a sax solo, Vic can be heard shouting: "Pack it in, Parker!"
Parker has also made notable appearances on record with Robert Wyatt.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • The Topography of the Lungs with Derek Bailey and Han Bennink
  • The Music Improvisation Company 1968-1971 with Derek Bailey, Hugh Davies and Jamie Muir
  • The Music Improvisation Company with Derek Bailey, Hugh Davies, Jamie Muir and Christine Jeffrey
  • Collective Calls with Paul Lytton
  • At the Unity Theatre with Paul Lytton
  • Saxophone Solos
  • Monoceros
  • Six of One
  • Incision with Barry Guy
  • From Saxophone & Trombone ; Psi ; Otoroku ) with George Lewis
  • Tracks
  • Hook, Drift & Shuffle
  • The Snake Decides
  • Atlanta
  • Process and Reality
  • Three Blokes with Lol Coxhill and Steve Lacy
  • Conic Sections
  • Synergenics - Phonomanie III
  • Corner to Corner with John Stevens
  • Birmingham Concert
  • Imaginary Values with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton
  • 50th Birthday Concert
  • Obliquities with Barry Guy
  • The Redwood Session with Joe McPhee
  • Breaths and Heartbeats with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton
  • McPhee/Parker/Lazro with Joe McPhee and Daunik Lazro
  • Tempranillo with Agustí Fernández
  • Chicago Solo
  • London Air Lift
  • At the Vortex with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton
  • Toward the Margins
  • Monkey Puzzle with Ned Rothenberg
  • Natives and Aliens with Barry Guy, Paul Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell
  • Most Materiall with Eddie Prévost
  • Unity Variations with Georg Gräwe
  • Drawn Inward
  • Foxes Fox with Steve Beresford, John Edwards, and Louis Moholo
  • After Appleby with Barry Guy, Paul Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell
  • Lines Burnt in Light
  • Passage to Hades with Jah Wobble
  • The Ayes Have It
  • Chicago Tenor Duets with Joe McPhee
  • Memory/Vision
  • Set
  • Birds and Blades with Barry Guy
  • America 2003 with Alexander von Schlippenbach and Paul Lytton
  • The Eleventh Hour
  • Boustrophedon
  • The Bishop's Move
  • Naan Tso with Foxes Fox
  • Crossing the River
  • Time Lapse
  • Zafiro
  • The Moment's Energy
  • A Glancing Blow with John Edwards, Chris Corsano
  • Whitstable Solo
  • House Full of Floors
  • Psalms with Sten Sandell
  • Scenes in the House of Music
  • Nightwork
  • Round About One O'Clock with Zlatko Kaucic
  • The Bleeding Edge with Okkyung Lee, Peter Evans
  • The Voice is One with Agustí Fernández
  • Hasselt
  • Dortmund Variations with Georg Gräwe
  • Rex, Wrecks & XXX with Matthew Shipp
  • Live at Maya Recordings Festival
  • Rocket Science
  • What/If/They Both Could Fly with Joe McPhee
  • Either Or And with Sylvie Courvoisier
  • Seven
  • Extremes with Paul Dunmall, Tony Bianco
  • Ninth Square with Joe Morris, Nate Wooley
  • As the Wind
  • Music for David Mossman: Live at Vortex London with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton
  • Then Through Now with Henry Dagg
  • The Heraclitean Two-Step, etc.
  • Branches with Bill Nace
With Derek Bailey
  • The London Concert
  • Compatibles
  • ''Arch Duo''

    As sideman

With Han Bennink
  • The Grass is Greener
With Borah Bergman
  • The Fire Tale
With Paul Bley
  • Time Will Tell
  • Sankt Gerold
With Anthony Braxton
  • Ensemble 1988
  • Duo 1993
  • Trio 1993
With Peter Brötzmann
  • Machine Gun
  • Nipples
  • Fuck de Boere recorded in 1968 and 1970
With Gavin Bryars
  • After the Requiem
With Lawrence Casserley
  • Solar Wind
  • Dividuality
With Alvin Curran
  • In Real Time
With Pierre Favre
  • Pierre Favre Quartet
With Joe Gallivan
  • Innocence
With the Globe Unity Orchestra
  • Hamburg 1974
  • Rumbling
  • Pearls
  • Jahrmarkt/Local Fair
  • Improvisations
  • Compositions
  • Intergalactic Blow
  • 20th Anniversary
  • Globe Unity 2002
With Barry Guy/The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra
  • Ode
  • Study II/Stringer
  • Stringer
  • Zurich Concerts
  • Harmos
  • Double Trouble
  • Theoria
  • Portraits
  • Three Pieces for Orchestra
  • Double Trouble Two
  • Radio Rondo/Schaffhausen Concert
  • That Time
With the Barry Guy New Orchestra
  • Inscape–Tableaux
  • Oort–Entropy
With Paul Haines
  • Darn It!
With Dave Holland
  • Uncharted Territories
With Tony Hymas - Barney Bush
  • Left for Dead
With Steve Lacy
  • Saxophone Special
  • Chirps
  • Three Blokes with Lol Coxhill
With Chris McGregor
  • Chris McGregor Septet. Up to Earth, 1969
  • Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath Travelling Somewhere, 1973
  • Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath Live at Willisau, 1973
  • Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath Procession
  • Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath Bremen to Bridgwater, 1971 and 1975
With Roscoe Mitchell
  • Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3
With Louis Moholo
  • Spirits Rejoice!
  • Bush Fire
With The Music Improvisation Company
  • The Music Improvisation Company
  • The Music Improvisation Company 1968-1971
With Natural Information Society
  • descension
With Michael Nyman
  • Michael Nyman
With Tony Oxley
  • The Baptised Traveller
  • 4 Compositions for Sextet
  • Ichnos
  • Tony Oxley
With Jean-François Pauvros
  • Master Attack
With Paul Rutherford and Iskra 1912
  • Sequences 72 & 73
With Alexander von Schlippenbach
  • Pakistani Pomade
  • Three Nails Left
  • The Hidden Peak
  • Detto fra de Noi
  • Anticlockwise
  • Das Hohe Lied
  • Elf Bagatellen
  • The Morlocks and Other Pieces with the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
  • Physics
  • Live in Japan '96 with the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
  • Complete Combustion
  • Swinging the Bim
  • Gold is Where You Find It
With Manfred Schoof
  • European Echoes
With Setoladimaiale Unit
  • Live at Angelica 2018
With the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
  • Karyobin
  • Quintessence
With Spring Heel Jack
  • Masses
  • Amassed
  • Live
  • The Sweetness of the Water
With David Sylvian
  • Manafon
  • Died In The Wool
with Cecil Taylor
  • The Hearth
  • Alms/Tiergarten
  • Melancholy
  • Nailed
With Stan Tracey
  • Suspensions and Anticipations
  • Crevulations
With Trance Map
  • Marconi's Drift by Transatlantic Trance Map
With Scott Walker
  • Climate of Hunter
With Charlie Watts
  • Vol pour Sidney
With Kenny Wheeler
  • Song for Someone
  • Around 6
  • Music for Large & Small Ensembles
With Robert Wyatt
  • ''Shleep''