William Parker's Raining on the Moon - live in Rome 2004

After Riccardo's post of Leena Conquest in Rome, I thought we definitely should have some more Leena Conquest in Rome. Bit of a toss-up about whether to go for the 2004 or 2008 concert, so here's the 2004, and if this one catches on, we might throw in the 2008 later on. I should say I caught the 2008 version roundabout the same time as the Rome date, so obviously two dates on the same tour.

As far as the William Parker oeuvre is concerned, this is, one might say, from the more accessible part of it. His Raining on the Moon ensemble is an conscious, deliberate attempt to draw upon a wider palette, to incorporate elements of the black musical heritage beyond jazz, in particular vocals and lyrics/poetry in the standard jazz ensemble set-up. Here it veers towards soul music in passages, recalling that one of Parker's many projects is a tribute to Curtis Mayfield. For those who enjoyed this set, I should recommend my earlier posting of Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble, another project of exploring the width and breadth of the heritage - the latter Chicago-based and applying the banner of "Great Black Music - From Ancient to the Future". Parker is New York-based, but his vision and imagination is very much along the lines of his AACM compatriots in Chicago, extending beyond music-making to activism and community-building among his fellow NY jazzers.

Basic info:

William Parker Raining on the Moon
New York Is Now! Festival, Auditorium Parca della Musica –
Viale Pietro de Coubertin
Rome Italy
April 4, 2004

FM? > ? > CDR > EAC > FLAC

1. Soul That Died (24:16)
2. Feet Song (15:45)
3. James Baldwin to the Rescue (11:24)
4. Bowl of Stone Around the Sun (10:02)
5. unknown (10:17)

William Parker (b)
Rob Brown (as)
Lewis Barnes (tp)
Hamid Drake (d)
Leena Conquest (voc)