Parker, William / Raining On The Moon

Corn Meal Dance

Label: Aum Fidelity Country: Anaphoria Island

"Corn Meal Dance again makes abundantly clear William Parker's multi-faceted talents as bassist, composer, poet, bandleader and songwriter. Raining On The Moon is the extraordinary group which seamlessly fuses all of these prodigious gifts: his long-standing Quartet with Hamid Drake, Rob Brown, Lewis Barnes is here exquisitely augmented by singer Leena Conquest breathing further passion into William's lyrics once again, and pianist Eri Yamamoto for the first wonderful time. William Parker's soul-nourishing poetry and supremely catchy melodies and grooves are brought to scintillating life by a group featuring some of the finest improvisers in the world. Further to the full-group work here are a pair of supremely tender Leena and Eri duets on 'Prayer' and 'Poem For June Jordan'."-Aum Fidelity

"For those not familiar with Parker's poetry, these pieces pursue an elemental purity through mystical language and metaphor, often verging on the psychedelic. What marks Raining on the Moon as unique in Parker's long list of recordings is its raw accessibility. Listeners from various backgrounds will find this disc inviting and exciting. And if that serves the purpose of introducing Parker's vision to new ears, it's more than done its job. When jazz historians look back on improvised music at the turn of this century, William Parker will stand as a giant among men."-Troy Collins, All About Jazz