// Just in from printer! 2nd run of 100 copies. It is genuinely unknown when/if this tremendous/essential edition will see a third run. In other words: don't sleep on this. Also, just added a special-price Bundle Option w/ William's first spoken word album Cereal Music because it makes sense! //
Good folks in EU...we are setting a small batch of these aside for our distro in Spain so you can grip at reasonable shipping rates. Subscribe to our newsletter to know the moment they're available.
[CENTERING 1033] - BOOK - 6 x 9", 384 pg, perfect-bound, 2nd edition, 2nd printing of 100 copies, April 2025. //
William Parker's Observations presents the most expansive overview of his prolific, diverse, and illuminating writings yet. Drawn from over a 50+ year span (1967-2023), it collects an array of works that include liner notes, remembrances, essays, lyrics, concert programs, book forewords, plays, & transcriptions of recitations. Nearly 400 pages & over 100,000 words, it includes many pieces not previously published or anthologized.
In its pages, one can trace the evolution & refinement of core philosophies that Parker came to conceive & embrace from first immersing himself in music, film, poetry, art, & grassroots movements. Liner notes often go far beyond descriptions of the music, providing an outlet to present the broader foundations of his art, visions for a better world, & evocative tales about old friends & colleagues, many of whom are unlikely to be documented in "official" history books.
Observations is published on Parker's Centering imprint. The first edition of 50 copies was sold at the 2024 Vision Festival. This second edition, first print run of 100 copies (February 2025), adds a foreword by the late Dr. E. Pelikan Chalto, aka Carl Lombard, an important early influence on WP, who has described him as "a shaman, teacher, painter, poet, & musician ... one of the heaviest spirits on the scene."
This edition is exclusively available here, from our good brother Adam at 50 Miles of Elbow Room, and occasionally direct from William at select appearances.
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William Parker was born in the Bronx, NY, in 1952. At a young age, he realized that art & community would guide his life's path. This led him to move to the Lower East Side of New York City, where he has lived since the early 1970s. Inspirations for his work include peace, compassion, self-determination, nature, freedom, music of Indigenous peoples, and the relationships between improvisation, composition, sound, & silence. These themes & others converge in his concept of Universal Tonality, which he explores as a musician, poet, visual artist, philosopher, historian, organizer, educator, & activist.