[AUM002/3] - Download includes extensive PDF booklet
William Parker: leader, composer, bass (2, 3, 5)
=trumpets=
Roy Campbell (1-7), Lewis Barnes (1-7), Richard Rodriguez (1-7)
=trombones=
Alex Lodico (1-7), Masahiko Kono (1-7), Steve Swell (1-7)
=soprano saxophones=
Chris Jonas (1-7), Darryl Foster (1, 4-7)
=alto saxophones=
Rob Brown (1, 4-7), Will Connell (1-7),
Mabo Suzuki (1-7), Marco Eneidi (2, 3, 8)
=tenor saxophones=
Richard Keene (1, 4-7), Assif Tsahar (1-7), Ben Koen (1-7)
=baritone saxophones=
Dave Sewelson (1-7), Joe Ruddick (1-7)
=and=
Gregg Bendian: vibes (1-8)
Cooper-Moore: piano (1-7)
Akira Ando: cello (1-7)
Hal Onserud: bass (1-7)
Dave Hofstra: tuba (1-7)
Susie Ibarra: drums (1-7)
=special guests=
Lisa Sokolov: voice (1, 6, 7)
Vinny Golia: reeds (5)
Jason Hwang: violin (5)
John King: dobro (4)
Sunrise in The Tone World and David S. Ware's Wisdom of Uncertainty were AUM Fidelity's inaugural releases, on September 16, 1997. This 2-CD set presented the 2nd mighty season of sound from Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra.
"Top Releases of 1997" –The Wire
"4-Star Lead Review" –DownBeat
"#1 Jazz Chart" –CMJ
"The dream is always the same. Those of us who see jazz as a democracy in one of its purest forms will always harbor a soft spot for big bands. There's something about a large ensemble's bearing, about the obvious care that goes into launching a good one, as well as the dynamic, yet gingerly plotted music that emanates from the push-pull of brass against reeds and melody against rhythm, all on an expanded scale. Such groups also provide one of the jazz idiom's most awe-inspiring spectacles, allowing us to witness how remarkable cohesion can emerge from what could easily amount to mere fury. In the case of New York-based bassist William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, one might take all of the above impulses and multiply them by about 1,000. LIttle Huey is the big soulful megillah; its gloriousness is a true marvel of painstaking thought into action." –K. Leander Williams, Jazziz
"There was a time when music could be spoken of as more than a mere art form. Whether striving to express spirituality, to urge community or to effect social change, musicians viewed their work as something more than that of mere entertainment. This may seem like ancient history now, with music so rarely more than a means to self-gratification, but William Parker hasn't forgotten, and his massive Little Huey CMO just may win listeners back to his thinking. It's witty and moving, jubilant and provocative, taking the listener inside himself in contemplation, then lifting him outside to release." –David Reitzes, Alternative Press
"It is music which teaches love, compassion, and life. That is his compositional genius. It is beyond social experiment. Mr. Parker has harnessed the vitality and creative energy of the men and women in his band and created a thing of Freedom and Beauty. It grooves and flows, tension and release, light and heat. And like any great great piece of art, there's not much to say afterward but, "how the hell did he DO that?!" –Ian Nagoski, Halana
"A landmark of collective playing that over two sprinting hours evokes the theater of Charles Mingus, the gypsy carnival of Sun Ra, and the tribal dance of the Art Ensemble." –Marc Masters, Opprobrium
Sunrise In The Tone World represents the second season of sound from William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra – a 2-CD selection of recordings from their second residency at the Knitting Factory, NYC; an offering from the highest realms of Black Mystery Music.
Following are a few excerpts from the extensive liner notes by William Parker included with the original edition of this album (and now included as a PDF with download):
"Huey Jackson was an aspiring poet who grew up in the Housing Projects of the South Bronx. Influenced by the work of Samuel Beckett, he began to write poems, short plays and essays. Huey envisioned a world where anything was possible. Talking flowers, bright blue trees, green snowflakes against a yellow sky. Everyone discouraged him from being a poet. To Huey the word poet was synonymous with the words 'Human Being.' Huey continued to write until he passed away shortly before his 18th birthday.
"Sunrise In The Tone World is dedicated to all the children of the present world. With life existing in its current state I don't think the sun would rise at all if it were not for children. The tone world is the place where children live before they are born. It is the sphere we enter when music vibrates at an ultra-high level.
"When sound vibrates at a certain level we can see a corridor. At the end of this corridor is a room where all the secrets are kept. This room is locked and can only be opened through sound. If we play the right combination of tones the door opens and we are allowed to enter the room. Once inside a secret of life is revealed to us."
1. Sunrise In The Tone World - 12:18
2. The Bluest J - 26:08
3. Voice Dancer Kidd - 07:44
4. Mayan Space Station - 14:10
5. Huey Sees Light Through A Leaf - 40:15
6. Sunship For Dexter - 09:59
7. And Again - 05:44
8. The Painter and The Poet (featuring Gregg Bendian & Marco Eneidi) - 05:46
All compositions by William Parker, © Centering Music (BMI)
Produced by William Parker
Recorded by Alen Hadzi Stefanov
live at the Knitting Factory in 1995:
Jan 15 (8), Jan 29 (2, 3),
Feb 19 (1, 4, 6, 7), Feb 26 (5)
Mastered and edited by James McLean
Paintings by Bonnie Wilkins