Evan Parker - At The Finger Palace

Evan Parker: soprano saxophone

Figuring out which is the best Evan Parker solo recording is a quest that could either result in a highly enjoyable lifestyle or having commitment papers served. In either case this particular recording might turn out to be crucial, it presents Parker on one of his early trips to the United States playing before a small group of fans whose commitment to his style of improvising underscores the logical connection between "fan" and "fanatic." With Parker arriving on the west coast with a status somewhere between Gandhi and Crusader Rabbit, the atmosphere was ripe for a totally confident and impressive display of his innovative concepts and playing style. This is what exactly what Parker delivers here, in a venue that was basically somebody's livingroom, that somebody being pianist Greg Goodman, who also originally put the performance out on vinyl. At the Finger Palace acquired legendary status as the ultimate Evan Parker performance, and while research continues on that subject suffice to say there is enough evidence to rank the man as the ultimate soprano saxophone soloist.
(Eugene Chadbourne, AMG)

1978 AT THE FINGER PALACE