Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell After Appleby (Leo Records, 2000)
Reviewed by Micah Holmquist
February 18, 2000

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

Before receiving After Appleby in the mail, I had never actually listened for very long to the acclaimed British avant-garde saxophonist Evan Parker. Oh sure, I have heard bits and pieces of his music on the radio or the Internet and I have read more than one piece of prose praise Parker in the jazz press. I know, for instance, that critics generally think that what separates Parker from say Archie Shepp was the lack of blues influence in his playing but I, prior to this, I had not actually listened to the player to get a sense of what he was about. Parker is just one of many musicians that have produced a large and acclaimed body of work that might appear intimidating to new listeners. Where do you start and how do you evaluate something that might be quite different from what you are used to hearing? These are issues that all too often make challenging music more challenging that it should be. Fortunately this set is an enjoyable and accessible introduction to Parker and his music.

After Appleby, a two disc set, is the product of two sessions from June of last year by Parker, bassist Barry Guy, percussionist Paul Lytton, and pianist Marilyn Crispell.

The first disc chronicles the four musicians in the studio on June 28. Like many excellent leaders before him, Parker is willing to lie low and this shows up immediately. The disc’s first track is a wonderful piano and bass duet called "Warp." Both Crispell and Guy set dark tones yet they veer off in slightly different directions even while playing together. Guy plays the part of moving around the edges and always staying beyond the reach of prediction. Here, as on the rest of the disc, Guy alternates from playing with his hands and a bow to great effect. Listeners will be unsure where he is going next yet will certainly enjoy the ride. In contrast, Crispell moves in a consistent emotion around one theme with only slight variation. A constant sense of emotional consistency is the one quality the keeps the two players together.

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. All of these tracks provide an opportunity for remarkable interactions.

That tightness does not go away on this disc’s two quartet tracks. The musicians all sound in sync with one another and avoid competition in favor of working together. On "Where Heart Revive," Parker’s playing appears to wrap around while Crispell and Guy - keeping their work warm and under control. Lytton, for his part, usually provides a much-appreciated topping to the combination. He eschews the kit and standard, even for this type of music, rhythms in favor of adding dabs to the music. Nonetheless his influence is undeniable. Lytton’s frantic playing on "Blue Star Kachina" turns what would be several slight up ticks in the music into outright sonic uprisings. Later on this track -probably the best on either disc- Parker takes the leadership role and takes the other three down the winding, tornado like path, that ends with the same speed at which it moved. Parker’s playing and interaction with the other musicians reminds me greatly of Roscoe Mitchell although Parker seems to have an inclination to be slightly more curious and a little less deliberate than the Chicago legend. (1)

The second disc contains live recordings from the four on June 29. There are only two tracks here but the first one is over 51 and a half minutes long while the second track is just a second shy of 16 minutes long. I tried listening to this music just after finishing the first disc but I quickly realized that that I was too drained to do this. The first disc had worn me out with its beauty, power, and raw emotions. I needed to take a break before I could appreciate the second disc. That’s what I did and the results were, as I had hoped, similarly pleasing.

Qualities like the impressive interactions between players are as apparent on the second disc as they were on the first. That said, this disc has a much more "live" feel to it. Lytton is more apparent and constantly pushes the music forward. The percussionist also deliver what is probably the highlight of the disc with his solo that occurs a little over half way through the first track. Lytton integrates seemingly everything from marching band to esoteric world music influences to make for a highly engaging section. Interestingly, Parker is less of a force on this disc. Throughout the first track, his role is more of adding color and texture than being the center of attention. On the second track, Parker does not appear at all and the trio that results provides a fine meditation to cool off the emotions that the first track provoked. Crispell’s piano work is beautiful and fast yet never seems overdone and unduly busy. Both Guy and Lytton take on a highly harmonic role with the music and show that they are more than capable of pulling this off.

So what is there left to say? After Appleby contains some tremendous music and if you are like me and have been wanting to sample some Evan Parker but don’t know where to start, it makes for a fine introduction.

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