Summer Snow

WILLIAM PARKER & HAMID DRAKE: Summer Snow
AUM Fidelity, 2007

WORLD/JAZZ – Excellent series of hypnotic improvised duets, with each player deploying a small arsenal of instruments from around the world for a fused Afro-Asian sound. Tabla, shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and doson’ngoni (an African string bass) are the primary voices. Great stuff, recommended for both jazz and world music shows.

All great! Fo’s Picks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

2. 7:30 – lively, shifting patterns for tabla & doson’ngoni.
3. 3:03 – steady midtempo, with frame drum below and shakuhachi above
4. 9:22 – staccato tabla dialogue w/dumbek(?), shakuhachi flutters, second half picks up an Indonesian gamelan rhythm + talking drum
5. 3:49 – atmospheric: slow, mysterious shakuhachi and low gongs
6. 3:31 – stark atmosphere: quiet gongs, creepy water bowls, lots of space
7. 1:38 – slowly slashing shakuhachi and gong/metallic sounds
8. 3:53 – jazz bass & drum kit: very cool riffing, walking, dialogue
9. 11:33 – jazz bass & drums, moving out from rockin’ backbeats into free-jazz jumbles, tribal patterns, some bluesy walkin.’ A bit long, but good.
10. 7:18 – doson’ngoni & frame drum, an exotic but folksy walking rhythm.

[tracks 1 & 11 are fragments]

[ Fo ] 9-Jun-07