Home » Jazz Articles » In Pictures » Evan Parker 80th Birthday Celebration

Evan Parker 80th Birthday Celebration

By John Sharpe
April 11, 2024
View read count

On 6 April, the day after his 80th birthday, North London's Cafe Oto hosted a virtually sold out two-day celebration in honor of groundbreaking saxophone icon

Evan Parker

saxophone, soprano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Parker, bringing together a host of colleagues from across his career. Contingents from North America and Europe swelled the ranks of local well-wishers and were rewarded by some marvelous music reflecting different aspects of his artistry.

Starting off proceedings on the Saturday evening, the saxophonist revisited one of his most loved albums Evan Parker With Birds (Treader, 2004) in the company of the tapes and electronics of Spring Heel Jack (

John Coxon

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coxon and

Ashley Wales

" data-original-title="" title="">Ashley Wales). They accomplished an ideal solution to the enticing but often unsatisfying proposition of juxtaposing an instrumentalist and normally unresponsive ambient sounds, by manipulating field recordings and sound effects to answer Parker's soprano saxophone aerobatics, making it a truly interactive, and in this case almost meditative, meeting.

Rounding off the first evening one of Parker's most enduring units, the fabled free improv supergroup with bassist

Barry Guy

bass, acoustic
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Barry Guy and drummer

Paul Lytton

drums
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Lytton demonstrated a stunning potency. Their set of dizzying, unfettered interplay was exhilarating, sparking a visceral thrill when all three pushed the foot to the floor. The speed of response betrayed no age-related dampening of the firing neurons, while momentary connections vouchsafed intent and shared purpose.

The Sunday afternoon began with drummer

Mark Sanders

drums
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Sanders' percussion ensemble, completed by

Miles Levin

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Levin,

Jim Bashford

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Bashford and Tymek Jozwiak. They curated a blend of textures and rhythm which made their careful listening palpable, stirring from delicate rustling beginnings to thunderous crescendo and back again, without ever obscuring anyone's contribution. That was followed by a volcanic solo set by bassist extraordinaire

John Edwards

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">John Edwards. His energy and physicality, conjuring a rich tapestry of cadence from every part of his instrument, ensured a riveting experience. Finally the whole cast joined with Parker for an incendiary close to the session, inciting him to some of his most blistering tenor saxophone playing.

After that Parker needed a break, one provided when the last leg of the event on the Sunday evening kicked off with the long-established duo of

Aki Takase

piano
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Aki Takase and

Alexander von Schlippenbach

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Alexander von Schlippenbach, seated beside one another at the Cafe Oto grand. They gave a dazzling recital of compositions which mingled the abstract and the syncopated in equal measure. The highlight was perhaps their take on a piece from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, that rampaged off the page and into the boondocks, but which was the perfect combination of what guitarist

Sonny Sharrock

guitar, electric
1940 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Sharrock once termed "the terror and the beauty."

For the last set, Parker returned with

Matthew Wright

electronics

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Wright's Trance Map Plus, which also included Guy and Lytton, and supplemented them with cellist

Hannah Marshall

cello

" data-original-title="" title="">Hannah Marshall, the electronics of

Pat Thomas

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Thomas,

Ned Rothenberg

saxophone
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Ned Rothenberg on clarinet and Peter van Bergen on bass clarinet. In a kaleidoscope of live sound and real time processing it was sometimes unclear where the circular breathed squalls originated, but that was perhaps appropriate for a performance in which the communal quilting trumped the individual stitches.

The entire heartwarming event was an affirmation of not only Parker's place in the creative music pantheon, but also the respect and affection which he still inspires. View Slideshow

Pat Thomas and Matthew Wright at Evan Parker's 80th...

Ned Rothenberg and Peter Van Bergen at Evan Parker's 80th...

Barry Guy, Pat Thomas and Matthew Wright at Cafe Oto on 7...

Hannah Marshall, Evan Parker and Paul Lytton at Evan...

Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach at Evan Parker's...

Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach at Evan...

Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach at Evan Parker's...

John Edwards, Jim Bashford, Miles Levin, Evan Parker, Mark...

Evan Parker, Mark Sanders and Tymek Jozwiak at Evan...

Evan Parker and Mark Sanders at Evan Parker's 80th birthday...

John Edwards at Evan Parker's 80th birthday celebration at...

Mark Sanders, Tymek Jozwiak, Miles Levin and Jim Bashford...

Jim Bashford at Evan Parker's 80th birthday celebration at...

Barry Guy, Evan Parker and Paul Lytton at Evan Parker's...

Paul Lytton at Evan Parker's 80th birthday celebration at...

Evan Parker at his 80th birthday celebration at Cafe Oto on...

John Coxon, Evan Parker and Ashley Wales at Parker's 80th...

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Record Store Day 2024 Jazz Releases
< Previous

Agoja
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.