William Parker – Long Hidden: The Olmec Series

Overall Rating: 7.8 (out of 10)        Label: Aum Fidelity

The Olmec group is represented on four of the 11 tracks here, and consists of the indomitable William Parker, saxist Dave Sewelson, bassist Todd Nicholson (good ol’ “cousin Todd”), and four young Merengue musicians: Omar Payano, Isaiah Parker, Gabriel Nunez and Luis Ramirez.  William plays bass and Doson ngoni on this offering, the latter being an stringed instrument somewhere between a kora and a banjo (he alternates between a traditional 6-stringed one from Mali and an 8-stringed one made for him in Paris). 

So we have four uptempo Olmec numbers, “dedicated to the forefathers of Middle America and to the Tainos Indians who first settled the country that is presently called the Dominican Republic” and four Parker solo tracks recorded around  the same time in 2005.  Add to this mix two live solo tracks from a 1997 concert in Berkeley, CA (including a passionate reprise of “Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy,” originally written for the quartet In Order to Survive and recorded on a stellar album of the same name) and this is a really nice collection of music.  Finally add the bonus track: the towering “In Case of Accident” recorded live in 1993 and originally released on Painter’s Spring on Parker’s own Centering Music label (and also included on a compilation CD that came with the second issue of the (maga)zine Halana) – a 14-minute tour-de-force that brings it all home for me.

Mixing solo and group efforts of varied styles and time periods works well here to my ears.  Rather than sounding fractured and discombobulated, it works like a good mixtape, with the various styles providing segues into each other and changing things up a bit.  Honestly, I would probably find 66 minutes of Olmec or solo bass a bit tiring to listen to regularly, but I’m happy to hit play again as soon as this CD ends.  And while the track “Pok-a-Tok,” seems a bit long at times, just knowing that it’s “an Olmec ballgame whose object is to knock a four and a half pound rubber ball through a small ring using only the elbows, wrists and hips” makes its inclusion in its entirety worthwhile.  Which brings me to the packaging – a very nice digipak with copious liner notes and track by track description written by Parker.  In these days of digital downloads, providing informative and interesting liner notes, particularly notes written by the musician, in an attractive package is indeed something to treasure. 

So, while I was a bit disappointed with this on first listen, finding it a bit shrill and jarring at times (which I’m chalking up to two things: 1) my initial listen took place while getting ready to go to sleep, and 2) the amount of fully groovy/funky Parker/Drake I’ve been aurally devouring lately), I’ve come to enjoy this CD quite a bit in the week I’ve had it.  Great for active listening and as background music while I’m doing other things.