WILLIAM PARKER
Luc’s Lantern
Thirsty Ear
· Free jazz guru plays it straight.
You could always count on bassist William Parker to push the audible boundaries of jazz. Known for throwing proverbial wrenches into every standard he played, Parker stretched tonal qualities, making the dissonant consonant and turning noise into music. Why then is Parker releasing a completely straight-ahead take on the venerable jazz warhorse of the piano trio? Whatever the motivation behind the switch, Parker has managed to frame himself within the more conventional foundations of jazz.
Gone are the avant-garde musings, rhythmic instability and aggressive tendencies Parker is celebrated for. Also absent are his usual cohorts, pianist Matt Shipp and percussionist Hamid Drake. For this traditional trio project, Parker enlisted newcomers Eri Yamamoto (a classically trained pianist) and drummer Michael Thompson, both suggested by Shipp, Parker's longtime associate and Thirsty Ear Blue Series curator. Luc’s Lantern is by far Parker’s most accessible and in turn most introspective album. It’s as if to express his most inner thoughts, Parker reverted back to jazz’s conventional language. Maybe he’s making his way back home.
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