Sound Unity

This version of bassist William Parker€s quartet debuted with the superb O€Neal€s Porch in 2002, but it€s based on long-standing allegiances. Alto saxophonist Rob Brown has worked with Parker since the 1980s, while Parker and drummer Hamid Drake have established themselves as a dominant rhythm section in many groupings, merging the elasticity of free jazz with the grooves of classic Blue Note hard bop. The clear inspiration for this band, completed by trumpeter Lewis Barnes, is Ornette Coleman€s quartet, circa 1960 €" a resemblance marked by Brown€s speech-like alto saxophone and Drake€s pulsing polyrhythm, combining African, Caribbean and New Orleans sources in a way that suggests Coleman€s great drummer Eddie Blackwell. But what makes the William Parker Quartet most resemble the Coleman bands, and raises it well above imitation, is the almost telepathic interaction and bubbling conversation between the four; from homages to fallen giants like "Wood Flute Song" for Don Cherry to the dancing mood of "Groove." --Stuart Broomer