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Premiere: David Parker’s “Improvisation 9 (Burnout – Renewal)”

Last updated on February 17, 2022

I’ve been cautiously wandering over toward experimental music over the past few years. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to grok the glory of dissonance the way that much experimental music does, but there are tour guides along the way that show me a little better how it works. David Parker‘s “Improvisation 9 (Burnout – Renewal)” is one of those guides.

Parker and guest Jonas Bonnetta (synths/piano) offer a loose, freewheeling jam here on banjo, guitar, and piano. The wide-open form crushes an acoustic Americana piece and reconstructs it into an almost painterly sonic experience. The instruments each have room to roam over a wide, mid-century minimalist canvas. The  improvisational nature of the work necessitates dabbling in dissonance when one or more of the musicians does something that cuts against the work of the others. But the dissonance resolves here, not leaving the listener stranded; the piano does particularly good work in grounding the listener with gentle, subtle melodies. It’s a little more gnarly than most “meditative” music, but I found myself able to connect with it in the way I do some more traditionally peaceful meditative work. It’s a fascinating track.

Parker was kind enough to give us some backstory to the work:

“In September 2021 I spent a weekend recording and producing a new album at Port William Sound with Jonas Bonnetta (Evening Hymns). It was my first time at the studio and working with Jonas. I had come with 8 songs all written and ready to go. On the first day my plan was to open with an improvised session on a few different instruments. This is a practice I’ve learned about through artists like Adrienne Lenker and Sunn O))), and I really like the idea of using improvisation as a chance to warm up for working on other stuff, and then those warm ups end up becoming release-worthy takes.

The songs on this album are very influenced by Daniel Bachman’s Axacan (Three Lobed Recordings, 2021). Two of the song titles – ‘Grief’ and ‘Climate Anxiety’ – are a nod to his dark but uplifting album that is comprised mainly of solo guitar takes and field recordings.

Many of the ideas running through my head at Port William Sound were buoyed along and deepened thanks to the above mentioned book by Henri Lefebvre. Marxism, alienation, fetishism of money, and climate crisis are all foundational concepts that have grounded my art practice in the last year and beyond.”

Every Day Life comes out March 4th. Parker also has other work coming out this year: “I am part of a quartet called the Heart Structure Quartet and we are releasing our 3rd album on tape cassette and vinyl in February 2022! That’s very exciting for us. Later in 2022 I’ll be releasing an album of drone compositions including remixes by some special friends of mine (that’ll be released in July). And then in Fall I’ll be releasing a tape cassette of duets with a good friend and collaborator, pianist/synth player Del Stephen. I plan to do further recording and visiting recording studios this year, working on a lyrical album to be released in the distant future.”

TOUR DATES

August – House show, Kingston, ON, Canada. Contact David Parker for details.