William Parker developed these works presented in three complementary albums titled "Voices Fall From The Sky", "Songs", and "Essence", bringing together new compositions with long unavailable or new versions of previous pieces, performed in various configurations from solo to large ensemble, the songs reflecting freedom, compassion, anti-oppression, anti-violence, a love of nature, spirit and creation; essential elements in Parker's optimistic oeuvre.
5. The Blinking of the Ear part 1: Meditation on Freedom 4:58
6. The Blinking of the Ear part 2: Without Love Everything Will Fail 3:42
7. The Blinking of the Ear part 3: Dark Remembrance 7:02
8. The Blinking of the Ear part 4: Heavenly HomeMeditation on Peace 14:13
9. Natasha's Theme 2:05
sample the album:
descriptions, reviews, &c.
"One of the intrinsic aspects of William Parker's extensive oeuvre that bears repeated mention is the vast range thereof; all of it filled with light. From era-defining statements of free music to soul-jazz organ quartet; from his seamless incorporation of indigenous folk forms to his exhilarating work for jazz orchestra; from the joyous accessibility of his Quartet (and essential In Order To Survive) to his nuanced scoring for dance and film.
And this new work! A treasure box abounding with gems, Voices Fall From The Sky is an expansive 3CD Box Set comprising three distinct and complementary albums whose focus is on the voice: the singers, 17 of whom are featured here -&- the songs, all composed (and produced) by William Parker. Half of this collection are brand new recordings made during winter 2017/18 and half are Parker-curated selections of previously recorded material which has been either long unavailable or is presented here in new form.
Accompaniment to the singers on these 34 pieces ranges as widely as the voices, from self-on-piano (the two pieces performed by Raina S-G) to duet to ensembles large & small. A multitude of approaches are employed: art song to operatic, pop to gospel, heart-stopping ballads to dance numbers, silence to exuberance. The lyrical content expresses love of nature and its vital importance to a whole life, compassion, anti-oppression, anti-violence of any kind, praise of the creative spirit, and, Love. These themes are foundational in all of Parker's work; the forefront spotlight through a multitude of expressive voices here makes them that much more salient.
Parker has been working with singers since first embarking on his distinguished path in the early 1970s. His creations featuring voice & song which have found greatest renown to date have been with the groups/projects, Raining On The Moon [ "In suggesting an alternate past, where Nina Simone jammed with John Coltrane, Parker finds another future." -The Sunday Times ], and The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield [ "A superb example of how a pop songbook can be transformed .. a fierce and awesome display of musical prowess .. among the broadest, deepest and richest listens of this year (or any)." -JazzTimes ]. And, from a full-page featured review in The Wire of Parker's most recent release in this form, Stan's Hat Flapping in the Wind: "Through these songs, love rains down."
Album 1, also entitled Voices Fall From The Sky, features all-new work (save the opening invocation) predominately recorded & mixed during Winter 2017/2018. It features the widest range of voices & accompaniment. Singers: Timna Comedi • Morley Shanti Kamen • Amirtha Kidambi • Kyoko Kitamura • Bernardo Palombo • Omar Payano • Jean Carla Rodea • Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez • Fay Victor • Andrea Wolper Accompanists: Karen Borca • Angelo Branford • Rob Brown • Gerald Cleaver • Jean Cook • Jason Kao Hwang • Masahiko Kono • William Parker • Dave Sewelson • Heru Shabaka-Ra • Steve Swell • Dario Acosta Teich • Eri Yamamoto
Album 2 - Songs, is wholly comprised of duets, and focuses on three singers with whom Parker has had decades-long creative relationships with. Vintage recordings with Ellen Christi and Lisa Sokolov from the early 1990s :: which have been unavailable for almost 20 years :: are here re-contextualized with more recent work featuring Leena Conquest (and one feat. Mola Sylla)Accompanists: Yuko Fujiyama • Cooper-Moore • William Parker • Eri Yamamoto
Album 3 - Essence presents voices within large ensemble & features new iterations of previously released work together with a brand new suite / recording entitled The Blinking of the Ear, performed by mezzo-soprano opera singer AnnMarie Sandy. The previously released work features the singers Ernie Odoom, Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay and Leena Conquest, with accompaniment by four very different versions of the William Parker Orchestra, and his Double Quartet. The brand new suite features Eri Yamamoto: piano and Leonid Galaganov: drums, although how they and AnnMarie Sandy fill the silence is practically orchestral.
The creation of this rich compendium has been a very important project for Parker, who produced, curated and sequenced its totality this past Winter. It is being released on his own Centering Records imprint in a strictly limited physical edition of 1000 copies.