British free jazz saxophonist, Evan Parker, has helped to foster avant-garde music in the U.K. Evan Parker is one of Europe’s most inventive and fascinating saxophonists. His solos and playing style are distinctive by his innovative use of circular breathing, false fingering and other creative techniques. Parker’s solo sax work can produce fervent bursts and squeaks, as well as bleats and honks and spiralling lines and phrases. Parker is one of few players who are willing and able to express his love for late-period John Coltrane. Parker was a member of a Coltrane-influenced group in Birmingham in early 1960s. After settling in London in 1965 he started playing with the Tony Oxley Sextet, and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. He met Derek Bailey, a guitarist, during this time. They formed the Music Improvisation Company together and recorded the iconic 1970 album Topography of the Lungs. Parker began playing with European free music groups in 1970s, including the Globe Unity Orchestra and Alexander von Schlippenbach’s trio, quartet, and trio. In 1970, Parker, Bailey and Oxley founded Incus Records. They continued to operate it into the 1980s. Parker was also a member of Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, along with Bailey. He did duet sessions and solo concerts with John Stevens, Paul Lytton and John Stevens. Many of Parker’s first albums were solo saxophone recordings, such as 1978’s Monoceros. He recorded with Kenny Wheeler, the trumpeter, for 1979’s Around 6. In addition, he also recorded for the PSI label, recording albums such as 1980’s Six of One, 1983’s Hook, Drift, and Shuffle, and 1986’s The Snake Decides. Process and Reality Parker was a prolific artist over the next few decades. He released numerous albums, including Process and Reality (1991), Breaths and heartbeats (1995), Breaths and Reality (1995), 1997’s Bush Fire (1997), Drawn Inward (1999) and Monkey Puzzle (2000). He also joined bassist Barre Phillips and pianist Paul Bley during the 1990s to record the highly-regarded 2001 ECM album Sankt Gold. Eleventh Hour was also released on ECM in 2005. Parker’s next album, Time Lapse was released on John Zorn’s Tzadik in 2006. He also released Crossing the River on his PSI imprint. 2007 was prolific with three albums on three labels, including A Glancing blow on Cleanfeed. The label also released Belle Ville in 2008. To round out 2007, Parker released Free Zone Appleby 2007 via PSI. To close the year, Parker released Free Zone Appleby 2007 on PSI. Two Chapters and an Epilogue were two of the many albums featuring Parker as a leader and co-leader in 2010. They were sung by John Tilbury and Twine, which featured saxophonist Urs L. Leimgruber. Scenes in the House of Music, Barry Guy, Lyton, and Peter Evans are also notable. He was part of a group that included Mark Nauseef and Ikue Mori on Near Nadir For Tzadik in 2011. Meetings with Remarkakble Saxophonists Vol. Matchless released 1 with John Edwards, Eddie Prevost, in the spring of 2012. Then came two Psi recordings, Hasselt and the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble and a reissue of The Topography of the Lungs, which was originally issued in 2006. The 2013 concert recording Live at Maya Recordings Festival featuring the Guy/Lytton Trio, was released on Matchless. Next came two Psi recordings: Hasselt with the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble and What/If/They Both Can Fly, a duet album recorded with Joe McPhee, on Rune Grammophon. For 2014’s Quintet/Sextet/Duos, he teamed up with Otomo Yushihide, Sachiko, John Edwards and Tony Marsh. Then came 2015’s Ninth Square, which was recorded with Joe Morris, Nate Wooley, and Nate Wooley. Parker was a prolific producer and released many albums over the years, including 2015’s The Hurrah and 2016’s Miller’s Tale. 2017’s Sounding Tears was recorded with Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri. Uncharted Territories was his 2018 album with bassist Dave Holland. He also reunited with his long-time collaborators Barry Guy, Paul Lytton for Music for David Mossman Live at Vortex London. Allmusic
