William Parker is one of the main reasons I began listening to free jazz. His early recordings ( The Peach Orchard ‘98, Mayor of Punkville ’99, and O’Neal’s Porch ’00, to name only three) were like nothing I had ever heard. I couldn’t get enough. He might be the most consistently brilliant composer/improvisor in the free jazz kosmos. He is blessedly one of the most prolific.
Pulsar documents Parker with Hugo Costa on alto sax and Philipp Ernsting on drums. The title cut opens with Parker’s double bass laying down a bit of structure for Costa and Ernsting to get a grip on. The tendency in any small group featuring a saxophone is for the music to be all about the horn. For maybe the first three minutes you think that might happen; but the bass quickly speaks up. Parker deploys his bow briefly, about 2 minutes shy of the middle. Ernsting’s percussion begins by adding delicate but exquisite accents to the main themes elaborated by Parker and Costa. Both horn and bass produce lyrical, almost romantic novellas. Somewhere near the middle, my inner ears formed an image of Costa’s sax as an exquisite piece of sculpture traveling down a rolling conveyor belt. Brief moments of dialogue between Ernsting’s drums and Parker’s increasingly percussive bass display an amazing degree of control over the balance of the sounds. This track is worth twice what the recording costs.
I don’t know what Fogo em Escalada means. Google translate seems to think it is Brazilian Portuguese for Climbing Fire. Okay. It opens with a signature Parker melody, three and then four evocative notes repeated. Here the image seems more that of a stately grandfather clock than fire. The alto sax is more subdued and gives a precious levity to the progression.
The last cut, “Words of Freedom” opens with a frenetic triangular exchange between Ernsting, Costa, and Parker, now on a horn (I think!). Perhaps someone with a better educated ear can confirm the instrument. Later in the piece Parker switches to flute. If you are in the mood for a higher energy engagement, this will be your favorite part of the album. Only toward the end does the intensity subside.
I is a fine piece of Free Jazz. If you enjoy it, you might check out Costa and Ernsting on their duo album The Art of Crashing (New Wave of Jazz 2022). As you would expect, it gives the drummer’s virtuosity a chance to take center stage. Highly recommended.
Totally Random Suggestion File: Mal Waldron Quintet - Seagulls of Kristiansund (Soul Note, 1987). Lush, romantic bop to cleanse your pallet.
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