Parker-Guy-Lytton: At the Vortex Evan Parker: tenor & soprano saxophones Barry Guy: double bass Paul Lytton: drums Recorded live on 6/26/1996 @ The Vortex in London This AM I listened to the first set 38:14 (all of it? Not sure but usually the sets are short and intense although I once heard Evan with a quartet play a storming 75 minute set). Second set later is 40:something. EP on tenor and he plays the first 9+ minutes and unusually for him after a break of ~ 5 minutes, he plays continuously with the trio for the final 24 minutes. Comments: For those who pay attention to my non-Dead listening you might have figured out that Evan Parker is my number one guy on saxophone. Not just current or recent but ever. Here we find him at his absolute peak. During the first section, the trio hits 2-3 pinnacles that even I (being very familiar with this recording) forgot how intense and powerful the beginning section was/is. Guy & Lytton build to a crescendo with Parker and he re-enters to stay at just before 15:00. The peaks at 17:00 plus and then somewhere 3 or 4 more times up through 34 minutes or so render the earlier powerful sequences almost moot in comparison. In between there are 2-3 orginanically integrated circular breathing excursions and the mind-blowing moments feature Parker's technique as beyond anyone who has ever played the tenor saxophone. The beauty of it is that the music is not played with technique as the end-game. In my view he had developed a facility by this point to allow him to play what he heard in his head. His playing in the late 60's and up through the 70's was raw and powerful but by the mid to late 80's, he had built up a technical prowess on both horns that were really beyond any other saxophonsists (with due respect to great improvisors like Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy and others.) Again not sure what "ears" here are ready or interested but I'm offering these comments about one of the great ones - plus offering them as the great man is still playing live and recording with various musicians and ensembles - going very strong at 73. I've seen him as recently as 2 years ago and he is still incredible but in 1996 or even in 1998 or even 2000, his playing really surpassed what anyone could have imagined on both the tenor & soprano saxophone.
Yes, that album is also on my spotify offline list for work, just didn't have time for it today. I'll give that a listen or two and if I do not like it I think I'm done with Wilson
I tried looking up Parker / Guy / Lytton on Spotify. The only album it has is Natives and Aliens (1997). How is that one? Also just found a bunch of YouTube videos from a 2016 appearance at Vortex Jazz Club that look interesting, like this one:
Natives & Aliens good but nowhere near the power of the closely recorded up-front aforementioned "At the Vortex" (on Emanem records) Another great trio recording is The Two Seasons from 1999 with John Edwards & Mark Sanders. The two younger guys push Evan very hard. 2 CD set also on Emanem Records
Watching the short clip shows that the old dudes are still bringing it. Sounds like they are taking off when the clip ends. I was very very fortunate to see Lytton about 2 years back from the front row ~ 6-8 feet away and it was very very powerful. The great ones *sound* different. My pal sitting next to was that it is like seeing Art Blakey for us.
Yes, they certainly seem to be going for it! If you load that video on YouTube I think there are 9 short clips total.
so i've spent the bulk of the day streaming everything i could by him. I just purchased Purgatory and can't know why i've not come across him before today. I remember you posting about this record a few days ago and i stupidly ignored you. He's special. The band is great as well.
Thanks for posting this and making me aware of the 9 short clips. I've never seen Parker-Guy-Lytton. I saw Parker with Alexander von Schlippenbach on piano in place of Guy with Lytton on drums in 2003. Guy has not been stateside since before 9/11/2001. The above being said, I'm of firm belief that the only way inside this sort of music is through commitment and patience. For me I had to make an investment - monetary and otherwise. After the first Parker show I saw (~1997 or so with Mark Dresser & Bobby Previte), I knew I was in for the long haul. Not that it was an extraordinary set, but I heard some tenor playing that night at The Knitting Factory that was beyond anything I had heard before. At this time I was heavily into Trane, getting into Ayler, Lyons, Anderson, Chapin, Ehrlich along with all the historical alto & tenor players - from Webster through Rollins, Gonsalves, McLean, Shorter, Mobley, etc. Evan is/was on a different path or plane than all of them. His playing opened me up to hearing Dunmall, Butcher, Malaby, Jordan, etc.
Looks like brand new, inexpensive copies of At The Vortex are still attainable. It's been a while since I bought something I'm not familiar with out of the blue, so I'm going to give it a try.
I'll be listening to Trey at the Fox Theatre, Oakland Nov. 3 and 4. Right now, Elvis Costello, "Let Him Dangle," Spike.
Not that this probably needs to be said as I am pretty sure it is understood, but play it as loud as it would be if you were in the front row. In other words, crank it up with no distractions. The sound of the drums are especially good on this recording. It's not that this is a loud group. In a small room, only Guy's bass would be amplified and Parker is not an especially loud player. One more tidbit / wait until you hear the beginning of the second set/track. It features a nice long sequence to start of Evan's revolutionary circular breathing on the soprano saxophone.
To be fair his album came out on August 4. The video of Nose On The Grindstone on YouTube is the first thing of his I saw and it hooked me instantly. Tyler Childers - Nose On The Grindstone | OurVinyl Sessions
I have been listening to this this past week, also --- great stuff --- luckily my library system has it, hopefully nobody ganks it any time soon - really needs to be heard by all.
Out the Parker-Guy- Lytton releases I have, I revisit the below the most - though I have not listened to any of this trio in a long while: After Appleby with Marilyn Crispell is another good one.
Flamin' Groovies - At Full Speed... The Complete Sire Recordings Disc one, tracks 1-14: the album Shake Some Action 1976
I've got the old red hatART 2 CD set. The infamous second piano since they wouldn't let Cecil use the prime piano. Unit at full bore. Jimmy Lyons breaking atoms. Ronald Shannon Jackson pure powerhouse here. Only issue is Sirone is recorded oddly. In retrospect one of the greatest jazz recordings of the 70's. Cecil Taylor's music scares my wife. Have you heard Nailed??
Yeah, I have Nailed -- intense. Is this the one you have -- I have the above. I do like the below cover.
The sound quality is great. It's a little loud, but more like 1997 levels, not the typical mid-'00s brickwall crap. Unfortunately, it's out-of-print and $$$. I lucked out and got it for a great price on the forum classifieds a couple of years ago. Actually, I just checked discogs and the median sale price is $37 which isn't too bad, especially considering how outrageous the some of the out-of-print GD stuff goes for. It has the three full LPs they did on Sire plus one bonus track: an alternate version of "Shake Some Action" from a non-LP single. Actually, I went ahead and played Flamin' Groovies Now, which, IMO is just as good as Shake Some Action. Jumpin' in the Night isn't as essential just because they had become a straight covers band at that point - there are only two or three originals on it. The title track is killer though. I still need to pick up Supersnazz.
