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![Parker, William / Ellen Christi: Cereal Music (Aum Fidelity) Parker, William / Ellen Christi: Cereal Music (Aum Fidelity)](https://www.teuthida.com/productImages/misc4/35072.jpg)
William Parker's first spoken word album, and the continuing collaboration between Parker and composer, vocalist and sound designer Ellen Christi, who developed the underlying tracks, sung vocals and overall sound architecture for Parker's insightful, observational and revealing words and recitation, Parker also providing bass and flute that complement his life-affirming texts.
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William Parker-texts, recitation, bass, flutes
Ellen Christi-sound design, production, vocals
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6-panel digipak, printed on heavyweight stock reverse board. Notes by Parker, Christi, Joerg & additional painting by Parker on the inners. Includes 3 bonus tracks not included on the LP edition. The cover painting & additional paintings on Cereal Music are by William Parker.
UPC: 642623311929
Label: Aum Fidelity
Catalog ID: AUMF119.2
Squidco Product Code: 35072
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
"Cereal Music is William Parker's first spoken word album - poetry and observations from a profound life devoted to the path of finding truth in beauty and speaking truth to power. Parker's words are further illuminated by deeply sensitive sound design created by an equally long-time compatriot on the same path, producer and singer Ellen Christi.
William Parker's music -in its vast scope & range of form- has been an elemental nutrient of countless listeners lives for nigh on five decades. William's words -whether published on page or spoken from the stage- are part of that music. They speak on the beauty of life itself, amplifying the light of life ever-present, even in exceptionally difficult circumstance. As his first artistic expression, Parker began writing as a young person growing up in the South Bronx projects, presenting an alternate perception of often bleak surroundings and living conditions in the neighborhood. This early awareness that there was another way of being in the world, has suffused his development into a singularly generous artist and human being.
Ellen Christi's singing brings that same affirmation in the beauty of life. She & Parker's previous work together, The Majesty of Jah, is a tremendous feature for her voice. That album also includes the track, "Baldwin", w/ James Baldwin's ever-powerful words and voice resonating even more profoundly within the sonic architecture created around them by Christi. [Ellen also created the track "Freedom" same way, and mixed the whole album.] When she got in touch to tell me she had begun work on a similar album-length project, centered on William's spoken texts, I immediately asked that she please send the pieces as she finished them. And on hearing, I was deeply moved again, and again.. Blessings on the creators. May light love and wisdom always be strong."-Aum Fidelity
6-panel digipak, printed on heavyweight stock reverse board. Notes by Parker, Christi, Joerg & additional painting by Parker on the inners. Includes 3 bonus tracks not included on the LP edition. The cover painting & additional paintings on Cereal Music are by William Parker.
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Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for William Parker "William Parker is a bassist, improviser, composer, writer, and educator from New York City, heralded by The Village Voice as, "the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time." In addition to recording over 150 albums, he has published six books and taught and mentored hundreds of young musicians and artists. Parker's current bands include the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, In Order to Survive, Raining on the Moon, Stan's Hat Flapping in the Wind, and the Cosmic Mountain Quartet with Hamid Drake, Kidd Jordan, and Cooper-Moore. Throughout his career he has performed with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Milford Graves, and David S. Ware, among others." ^ Hide Bio for William Parker • Show Bio for Ellen Christi "Since the mid-seventies, Ellen Christi has steadily gained ground as an important contributor to American improvised music and contemporary jazz. As a composer/vocalist, Ms. Christi has worked in varying performance venues ranging from multi-media theatrical productions to solo vocal concerts. She has also been an active advocate in supporting innovative performing artists through organizations that she has co-founded or directed. Ms. Christi came to New York in the nascent period of the downtown loft scene. Jimmy Hopp was a positive catalyst introducing her to a musicians' collective at 501 Canal Street. And it was there that she lived and performed for many years with Tom Bruno, Ray Anderson, David Ware, Dave Burrell, and Coopermore. Ms. Christi studied piano technique, composition, and arranging with Jaki Byard, an internationally acclaimed pianist/composer and a professor at the New England Conservatory of Music. She studied the bel canto technique with Galli Campi, a coloratura singer with the Metropolitan Opera. Earlier on in her career, she studied vocal technique and movement with Jeanne Lee, an avant-garde jazz vocalist. Presently, Ms. Christi is working with vocal coach, Dr. Virgina Davidson, composer/conductor and founder of New York Treble Singers. Ms. Christi was one of the co-founders of New York City Artists' Collective, a non-profit organization committed to developing creative independence for artists, fostering appreciation of visual and performing arts, and record documentation/ production (N.Y.C.A.C. Records). New York City Artists' Collective was housed at 501 Canal Street, one ofthe prominent loft performance spaces of the 70's in Tribeca. She is also the founder of Network Records, an independent record label promoting contemporary jazz music. She has received numerous grants and commissions from the New York State Council of the Arts and Meet the Composer as well as having received varied commissions for dance and theater performances throughout the years. Her most recent commission has been funded through the prestigious Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. She is currently performing and teaching master classes in vocal technique/improvisation and movement throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Christi has been performing and recording with musicians in the United States and Europe for the past twenty five years. She has worked with: Tom Bruno, Ray Anderson, Mark Dresser, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Rashid Ali, Tony Scott, Ed Blackwell, William Parker, Lisa Sokolov, Jeanne Lee, Kenny Wheeler, Steve McCall, Rahn Burton, Roy Campbell, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, and Hans Koch. For the past twelve years, she has been collaborating with Fiorenzo Sordini, Claudio Lodati, Carlo Actis Dato, and Enrico Fazio in Italy. In Switzerland, she has been performing and recording with Thomi Hirt , Fritz Heigi, and Pit Gutmann of the trio, Illustrio. Currently she is working with Joe Gallant's Illuminati, a 22-piece ensemble,as well as performing and producing concerts with her present performing ensemble, Aliens' Talk. She is developing a world music project with Vincent Nguini of Cameroon. And the most recent recording project is with bassist, Habib Faye and balafonist, Babacar Konate of Senegal. A great portion of her time has been spent working as a producer for Bliss Corporation, a euro dance music production company in Torino, Italy." ^ Hide Bio for Ellen Christi
9/4/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
9/4/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
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Track Listing:
1. Ode to Kidd Jordan 02:06
2. Baseball 00:58
3. Birth 02:16
4. Death 02:27
5. Do Dreams Sleep 05:42
6. Ellen and Leaves Floating 06:01
7. Plea 02:46
8. Into My Heart 04:28
9. Touring 01:01
10. Sonny 05:43
11. Uninvited Guest 01:37
12. We Were Very Civilized 03:06
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Jazz
Compositional Forms
Electro-Acoustic
Electroacoustic Composition
Spoken Word
Unusual Vocal Forms
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Parker, William
Duo Recordings
New in Improvised Music
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