Tuesday, May 14, 2024

William Parker Organ Quartet's album Uncle Joe's Spirit House gets vinyl release

A long overdue vinyl pressing of  Uncle Joe's Spirit House was made for William Parker's Baltimore show on May 19th. 


Here's the scoop...

A simply gorgeous soul-jazz organ quartet album that hearkens back to early-mid 60s sessions of similar form; fully revitalized by bassist William Parker's indelible compositions and the generous musical gifts of tenor saxophonist Darryl Foster, organist Cooper-Moore and drummer Gerald Cleaver. A straight-up joy.

This very special project was produced by William Parker for his own Centering Records imprint, and dedicated to his Aunt Carrie Lee & Uncle Joe (pictured on album cover). It was created to celebrate the occasion of their 65th wedding anniversary on August 6th, 2010. William really wanted to get this album finished in time to gift to them for that auspicious date, and he did! He wrote seven of the songs in Dec 2009 toward the Jan 2010 recording session; "Ennio's Tag" and "Oasis" were previously written and they fit in perfectly.

The 9-song CD was officially released on Centering Records in October 2010.  Two pressings were made, and have long sold out. The special one-time only 6-song LP pressing (with digital download coupon for all nine tracks) was made in time for the family celebration / Organ Quartet performance on May 19, 2024 at An Die Musik in Baltimore. Get a vinyl copy of Uncle Joe's Spirit House from Aum Fidelity right here. Have a listen below. 

"A family thing. And a lot more than that: one of the great bassist’s most joyful, sunshine-filled records. An album of very accessible creative jazz with irresistible grooves. A federating record. A gem."

–Monsieur Délire blog, François Couture

"Though mysticism and spirituality play a hand in his expansive aesthetic, so do earthly concerns like social justice and family. Uncle Joe's Spirit House is a deeply personal offering from a musician whose role as a scene leader and social activist is as significant as his instrumental prowess." –All About Jazz, Troy Collins

"The music flows like a deep and powerful river."

–Music and More, Tim Niland

"For a guy who’s rightly regarded as a load-bearing column holding up much of the New York avant-jazz scene, bassist William Parker records some remarkably mainstream-friendly albums. Don’t let this disc pass you by. It’s emotional, hard-grooving, occasionally abstract but often raw and bluesy music that shakes hands with the past before striding confidently into the future."

–Burning Ambulance, Phil Freeman 



William Parker Organ Quartet – Uncle Joe's Spirit House

1. Uncle Joe's Spirit House - 09:01

2. Jacques' Groove - 02:13

3. Ennio's Tag - 05:41

4. Document for LJ - 10:44

5. Let's Go Down to the River - 07:19

6. Buddha's Joy - 08:47

7. The Struggle - 08:46

8. Theme for the Tasters - 07:47

9. Oasis - 04:12

LP edition

Side A:  Ennio's Tag / Let's Go Down to the River / Buddha's Joy

Side B: Uncle Joe's Spirit House / Jacques' Groove / The Struggle

* and includes download card for all 9 tracks as originally released on CD


No comments:

Post a Comment