I wrote this for the summer 2000 edition of One Final Note. Click here to read it on that site. This past March I wrote another review of After Appleby.

Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell
After Appleby (Leo Records)
review by Micah Holmquist
May 22, 2000

After Appleby is a two-disc set featuring music that saxophonist Evan Parker, pianist Marilyn Crispell, bassist Barry Guy, percussionist Paul Lytton recorded in June of last year. The first disc features material from a June 28 studio session while the second disc chronicles a live performance on June 29. Beyond these formalities, the most obvious quality is that both discs contain a great deal of tremendous music.

All four players are of course masters and have played important roles in the history of avant-garde jazz and, in particular, the European branch of that tradition. So it is not surprising that all of the compositions appear to be the result of on the spot improvisation and that the music shows little interest in formal structures or patterns. Many of the best moments are duets between various duos. The first disc opens with Crispell and Guy playing together on a piece called "Warp." Both set dark tones yet do so by veering off in slightly different directions. Crispell serves as the anchor by playing with emotional consistency around one theme with only slight variation. Guy, on the other hand, moves around the edges of Crispell’s work. As is the case throughout this release, Guy alternates between creating sounds that are melodic and those that are rhythmic. Listeners will be unsure where he is going next yet will certainly enjoy the ride.

This is just one of six duets found here. There will be another one between Crispell and Guy but two more each by Crispell and Lytton and Parker and Guy. The duets all feature stellar musicianship but After Appleby reaches its pinnacle on "Capriomanntic Vortex (for David Mossman)" where all four play. Midway through this epic track —it takes up nearly 52 minutes and the bulk of the second disc- Lytton solos in such a way so as to nod his hat to seemingly every influence from marching band beats to esoteric world music influences. After a few minutes Crispell and Guy join in and then before long Parker appears with a masterful blow out that gives definition to the playing as a whole. This section is probably the highlight of both discs.

The second disc closes with "Fond Farewell" where Parker is absent. The bass, drums, and piano trio is thus able to provide a cooling off period for listeners and musicians. The pace is much slower, the mood much more calming, and After Appleby becomes a complete work full of emotional dept and variety.

Tracks: Disc 1 Warp (3:38)/Blue Star Kachina (20:050/Wax (2:57)/Falcon’s Wing (2:54)/Wane (3:10)/Weft (2:32)/Where Heart Revive (25:14)/Tchefit (3:05) Disc 2 Capriomanntic Vortex (for David Mossman) (51:36)/Fond Farewell (15:59)

Personal: Evan Parker (tenor & alto saxophones)/Marilyn Crispell (piano)/Barry Guy (bass)/Paul Lytton (percussion)

Recorded June 28, 1999 Gateway Studio June 29, 1999 the Vortex

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