Abbey Road Duos

Parker, Evan & Matthew Shipp
Treader
Jazz | Dec 2007

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2008-01-19
EVAN PARKER & MATTHEW SHIPP: Abbey Road Duos
Treader, 2007

Sax/piano duets from a pair of avant-garde stars: the first half of the disc has Parker on tenor, then he switches to soprano (despite the “Alto Suite” title). Moods range from art-gallery cool to dense and complex. Fantastic interplay, easily recommended to all out-jazz fans. Wow.

All outstanding. Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 4, 6

1. 6:33 – cool & reserved, formal with lots of space, a philosophical argument
2. 4:02 – scribbly sax, staccato piano whiz by in short bursts & tangled strands
3. 6:22 – piano tiptoes while sax muses, flirts with various rhythms and stomps
4. 5:13 – staccato, piano self-dialogue against sax squeaks & gnarled phrases
5. 5:45 – icy and vast: mournful sax, disconnected piano/piano string phrases
6. 6:56 – fast sax scribbles & strolls as piano searches & storms, intense end
7. 3:29 – very slow and sparse, phrases hang in mid-air
8. 2:35 – quiet but busy, as sax & piano flit about, gets louder & more insistent

[ Fo ] 19-Jan-08

Recent airplay

Alto Suite 3
Memory SelectFeb 29, 2008
Tenor Suite 3
No Cover, No MinimumFeb 29, 2008
Alto Suite 2
Baptism of SolitudeFeb 27, 2008
Tenor Suite 2
Memory SelectFeb 01, 2008
Alto Suite 2
Baptism of SolitudeJan 23, 2008
Alto Suite 2
Baptism of SolitudeJan 16, 2008

Charting

2007-12-31 — 2008-03-03 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Mar 2 3
Feb 3 1
Jan 27 1
Jan 20 1
Jan 13 2
Jan 6 3

Track listing

1. Tenor Suite 1
2. Tenor Suite 2
3. Tenor Suite 3
4. Tenor Suite 4
5. Alto Suite 1
6. Alto Suite 2
7. Alto Suite 3
8. Alto Suite 4