| Recorded at Context, Knitting Factory & Alterknit in 1997 & 1998. 2-Disc Set!
THE PEACH ORCHARD is a vibrant live album from perhaps the most beloved free jazz group of the late '90s. It was at this time that bassist William Parker came into his own as a bandleader and composer. While the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra showcased Parker's vision for large ensemble sound, In Order To Survive displayed his equally strong small jazz combo concepts. In pieces like "Thot," "Three Clay Pots," and the group's theme "In Order to Survive (We Must Keep Hope Alive)," the group moves readily from highly addictive vamps and grooves to extended sections of free meter improvisation, presenting a living history of jazz in the process.
Alto saxophonist Rob Brown, fully featured throughout, is one of the most intensely inventive and expressive improvisers of the present day. On the title track, his keening wails vividly evoke the cries of the Navajo people as the U.S. Army--brought to life by the rhythm section's relentless drive--razes their land. THE PEACH ORCHARD is an incredibly rich document, and essential to anyone interested in the lifeblood that flowed through the NYC jazz scene during this time. ...William Parker has grown steadily in stature to become one of the few undisputed giants of contempory free music....A great disc...
The Wire (02/01/1999) |