Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker ( * April 5, 1944 Bristol ) is a British saxophonist ( tenor and soprano saxophone). Starting from free jazz, he has developed into one of Europe's most respected improvisational musician.
Life and work
Parker was musically influenced by his mother, an amateur pianist. As the age of fourteen he began learning the saxophone, but first studied from 1962 to 1964 Botany at the University of Birmingham. To be able to fully concentrate on the music, he broke off his studies. He first worked with Howard Riley, before he moved to London to work with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1966. There he met Derek Bailey, with whom he worked, as well as with Tony Oxley. Since 1970 he plays with Paul Lovens in a trio of Alexander von Schlippenbach since 1973 and regularly in a duo with Paul Lytton.
Furthermore, he was a member of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath and worked with Paul Bley, Peter Brötzmann (Machine Gun, 1968), Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, Louis Moholo, Keith Rowe, Joe McPhee, Barre Phillips and Eddie Prévost and occasionally with the improvisation ensemble AMM together. Parker has recorded many albums in the ensemble, as Boustrophedon (2006, with Roscoe Mitchell) and solo, and also founded their own label.
His saxophone playing was initially influenced by John Coltrane, but has received experimental influences of contemporary music. Parker can improvise seemingly endless phrases. He used the technique of circular breathing.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Toward the Margins (ECM, 1997)
- Memory / Vision (ECM, 2002)
- The Moment 's Energy (ECM, 2009)
Lexigraphic entries
- Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, Brian Priestley: Jazz Rough Guide. Metzler, Stuttgart 1999; ISBN 3-476-01584- X
- Martin Kunzler: Jazz Encyclopedia Vol 2 Reinbek 2002; ISBN 3-499-16513-9