Jemeel Moondoc & William Parker

I finally bought New World Pygmies Vol. 2, with Moondoc on sax, Parker on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums.  New World Pygmies (1999) is a brilliant piece of avant garde precision with no prisoners taken.  The duo format leaves nothing unexposed.  

The two disc Vol. 2 (2001) is less uncompromising for two reasons.  One is that they add a drummer.  The existential distance between duo and trio is profound in avant garde and pretty much in all jazz.  Hamid Drake is fine choice for third.  Second, the album includes several lyrical compositions by Parker and Moondoc.  I consider Parker to be one of the most important composers in modern jazz.  'O'Neal's Porch' is the title cut from a Parker album.  'Three Clay Pots' is from Parker's superb avant garde document, The Peach Orchard. 

I am playing 'O'Neal's Porch' and a Moondoc composition 'Spirit House' from New World Pygmies Vol. 2 and 'Theme for Pelikan' from New World Pygmies.  I also loaded 'Judy's Bounce' from a Moondoc album of the same title.  Fred Hopkins plays bass and Ed Blackwell drums.