(Free Improvisation) Hamid Drake, Anders Gahnold, William Parker - The Last Dances - 2007, MP3 (tracks), 256 kbps

By: Kurt Gottschalk
By 2002, Parker was well-recognized as a composer and bandleader and another important turn in his career had taken place: with drummer Hamid Drake, he had become a part of one of the most exciting and in-demand rhythm sections of the day.
With Drake he recalled the tradition of the rhythm section and where free jazz had long followed an every-man-for-himself dictum, Parker and Drake returned to the back line, working as a unit to set the stage for the horns.
Much of the time it was with players with whom they already had a history (most notably Fred Anderson and Kidd Jordan), but the record …and William Danced showed the duo’s strength by putting them behind a relative unknown.
Alto saxist Anders Gahnold is a bluesier player than most of their usual cohorts, casting a new light on the rhythm team (while it was released under the name “William Parker Trio”, it’s Gahnold’s record). It was released by Ayler Records, which has been pushing hard into the download world. The disc is out of print and available as a paid download on the label’s site, as is a new disc of recordings from the same session, this time under the more egalitarian “Drake/Gahnold/Parker”.
The four pieces are, as with Blue Shadows, every bit as strong as the original release. Parker’s ideas as a bandleader continue to flourish and as long as there are old tapes stowed in cupboards we won’t have to worry about missing his sideman days.

By: Mike Szajewski
A short while back, Ayler Records released a 2002 recording from Sweden including the international trio of Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, New York bassist William Parker, and the lesser known Swedish alto man, Anders Gahnold.
Here, the label provides more cuts from the same date, leaving nothing to be desired. As always, Drake and Parker display a magical connection, breezily drifting through ballad-like pieces, while treacherously navigating through intense, swinging workouts. All the while, the Swedish reed player sounds remarkably comfortable, playing a powerful style without overpowering and disrupting the delicate trio balance.