What/If/They Both Could Fly

Summary

What/If/They Both Could Fly is a live album by Evan Parker and Joe McPhee recorded Norway in 2012 and released on the Norwegian Rune Grammofon label.[1][2]

What/If/They Both Could Fly
Live album by
ReleasedNovember 22, 2013
RecordedJuly 6, 2012 at the Kongsberg Jazzfestival in Norway
GenreJazz
Length39:11
LabelRune Grammofon RLP/RCD3149
Joe McPhee chronology
Sonic Elements
(2012)
What/If/They Both Could Fly
(2013)
Human Encore
(2013)
Evan Parker chronology
Rocket Science
(2012)
What/If/They Both Could Fly
(2012)
Either Or And
(2013)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Guardian     [4]
DownBeat     [5]

AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek stated "For fans of improvised music, What/If/They Both Could Fly has much to offer. For seasoned listeners, it will not likely reveal many hidden new doors, but it is enjoyable and engaging for its lively interplay, presented in a relaxed, open, and inquisitive fashion".[3]

In The Guardian, John Fordham wrote "It's a must for free-jazz disciples of Parker and McPhee, but the uninitiated may also find much to enjoy in this gracefully rational and divertingly varied exhibition of improv".[4]

DownBeat reviewer Bill Meyer commented: "Nothing about this 2012 performance, recorded... when saxophonist Evan Parker was 68 and saxophonist-trumpeter Joe McPhee was 73, sounds like the work of musicians who are anywhere short of the top of their game... they sound quite in tune with each other, whether adding to one another's ideas or holding back to give the other space."[5]

Track listing edit

All compositions by Evan Parker and Joe McPhee

  1. "What" - 18:52
  2. "If" - 13:54
  3. "They Both Could Fly" - 6:25

Personnel edit

References edit

  1. ^ Joe McPhee discography accessed April 29, 2015
  2. ^ Rune Grammofon album entry accessed April 29, 2015
  3. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. What/If/They Both Could Fly – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Fordham, J., The Guardian Review, December 20, 2013
  5. ^ a b Meyer, Bill (February 2014). "What / If / They Both Could Fly". DownBeat. p. 83.