Freedom Of Speech Billy Parker's Fourth World SKU: SES19754 Barcode: 5060149622636 34.00 £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Pure Pleasure Released Date: 27th October 2017 Buying Format: 180g 1LP Add to basket Reserve Add to your Wishlist Description Product Info Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London THE HISTORY of this recording. Most of the musicians who gathered to record this fantastic spiritual jazz record for the Strata-East label on May 24th, 1974 had crossed each other’s paths in various musical pairings over the preceding few years. Husband and wife team Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals) and Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet) had been working together on albums like Frank Foster’s “Loud Minority”, and Roy Ayers’ “Coffy” and “Virgo Red”. Ten weeks before the “Freedom Of Speech” session, the couple had been joined in Tokyo by Cecil’s brother Ronald Bridgewater (tenor saxaphone) to record Dee Dee’s debut album, the beautiful “Afro Blue”. Also in the studio on May 24th, 1974 was Donald Smith, (piano, vocals), fresh from recording on his older brother Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Cosmic Funk” – on which Ronald Bridgewater had also played percussion. Cecil McBee (bass) was also there – just two weeks before, he’d completed his own Strata East date “Mutima”, and in February he’d played on Mtume’s “Rebirth Cycle” – with both albums also featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals. He’d also played on Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Astral Travelling”. So 1974 was a huge year for all five of these people. Donald Smith and Cecil McBee were six months away from recording on Lonnie Liston Smith’s massive “Expansions”, with McBee fitting in a few Pharoah Sanders albums in between. AND THEN, THE MYSTERY … So with all this fervent activity, the question has to be asked …Who was Billy Earl Parker Jr (drums), the leader of this session ?? Billy Parker remains unlisted as a musician on all major jazz sites. His only other recording appears to be as a percussionist on Charles Tolliver’s “Impact” in 1975. Then there’s nothing. Finally, by backtracking one of those Zoom info pages, I found a summary of a “SUNY Rockland Community College” 2002 press release that no longer exists : “Billy Parker’s Fourth World Legacy Concert ??…?The concert, Billy Parker’s Fourth World Legacy, is the eighth annual tribute honouring the late percussionist and RCC educator, Billy Parker. A long-time Rockland County resident, Parker began his affiliation with RCC in 1987, building its jazz program and maintaining his life-long tradition of teaching and inspiring others. A lifelong student himself, Parker was near completion of his doctorate in music education at New York University when he died in 1996. But then people began to read this blog post, and in the comments, Aaron Fuller said : “Billy Parker was my uncle. He was an incredibly talented, smart, and kind man. I’m very happy to see that folks are still enjoying his masterpiece. Just to give you a bit more information about him… He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and then attended college at Michigan State University. He met my aunt in Lansing. They lived in NY and toured in Europe for quite a while. Sometime later they relocated to Nyack, NY and he ended up on the faculty of the community college while he pursued advanced degrees from NYU. He was an Ellington scholar. Although his name isn’t well-known even among the most avid jazz fans, I think that if you were to talk to some of the great NY musicians that were around in the late 60s and 70s you would find that most knew him. He also had a huge impact as a music educator and I have no doubt that his former students are all over the place, continuing to put his love of the art into practice.” Artist Billy Parker's Fourth World Genre Jazz Label Pure Pleasure Buying Options 180g 1LP Format 180g , 1LP Condition New Country United Kingdom Share this On Facebook On Twitter Via Email More from Jazz View Product Quick View Wolfgang Muthspiel Angular Blues Jazz | ECM | 1LP Released 27th March 2020 £18.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Wolfgang Muthspiel Angular Blues £18.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ECM SKU: 0848521 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 27th March 2020 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Norah Jones Come Away With Me Jazz | Blue Note | 1LP Released 6th April 2015 £18.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Norah Jones Come Away With Me £18.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: 5320881 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 6th April 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Various Artists Prince in Jazz A Jazz Tribute to Prince Jazz | Wagram Music | 1LP Released 8th June 2018 £17.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Various Artists Prince in Jazz A Jazz Tribute to Prince £17.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Wagram Music SKU: 3356556 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 8th June 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Dearest Sister Collective Heart Jazz | ACT | 1LP Released 18th November 2022 £23.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Dearest Sister Collective Heart £23.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACTLP9953-1 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 18th November 2022 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Dianne Reeves I Remember Jazz | Pure Pleasure | 180g, 1LP Released 20th September 2012 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Dianne Reeves I Remember £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Pure Pleasure SKU: PPANBST90264 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 20th September 2012 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Esbjörn Svensson HOME.S. Jazz | ACT | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released 6th October 2023 £23.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Esbjörn Svensson HOME.S. £23.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACTLP9053-5 Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released Date: 6th October 2023 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Sun Ra Arkestra Mayan Temples Jazz | Get Back | 180g, 2LP Released 18th November 2010 £22.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Sun Ra Arkestra Mayan Temples £22.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Get Back SKU: GET0722DLP Formats: 180g, 2LP Released Date: 18th November 2010 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Kenny Dorham Whistle Stop Jazz | Blue Note | 180g, 1LP Released 15th November 2016 £21.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Kenny Dorham Whistle Stop £21.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: LP84063 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 15th November 2016 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View John Coltrane Soultrane Jazz | Not Now Music | 180g, 1LP Released 2nd March 2015 £10.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders John Coltrane Soultrane £10.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Not Now Music SKU: LPCATLP118 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 2nd March 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Duke Ellington Anatomy of a Murder (Soundtrack) Jazz | Music On Vinyl | 180g, 1LP Released 18th February 2013 £20.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Duke Ellington Anatomy of a Murder (Soundtrack) £20.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Music On Vinyl SKU: MOVLP681 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 18th February 2013 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders See more in Jazz Start again
View Product Quick View Wolfgang Muthspiel Angular Blues Jazz | ECM | 1LP Released 27th March 2020 £18.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Wolfgang Muthspiel Angular Blues £18.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ECM SKU: 0848521 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 27th March 2020 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Norah Jones Come Away With Me Jazz | Blue Note | 1LP Released 6th April 2015 £18.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Norah Jones Come Away With Me £18.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: 5320881 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 6th April 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Various Artists Prince in Jazz A Jazz Tribute to Prince Jazz | Wagram Music | 1LP Released 8th June 2018 £17.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Various Artists Prince in Jazz A Jazz Tribute to Prince £17.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Wagram Music SKU: 3356556 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 8th June 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Dearest Sister Collective Heart Jazz | ACT | 1LP Released 18th November 2022 £23.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Dearest Sister Collective Heart £23.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACTLP9953-1 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 18th November 2022 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Dianne Reeves I Remember Jazz | Pure Pleasure | 180g, 1LP Released 20th September 2012 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Dianne Reeves I Remember £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Pure Pleasure SKU: PPANBST90264 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 20th September 2012 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Esbjörn Svensson HOME.S. Jazz | ACT | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released 6th October 2023 £23.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Esbjörn Svensson HOME.S. £23.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACTLP9053-5 Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released Date: 6th October 2023 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Sun Ra Arkestra Mayan Temples Jazz | Get Back | 180g, 2LP Released 18th November 2010 £22.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Sun Ra Arkestra Mayan Temples £22.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Get Back SKU: GET0722DLP Formats: 180g, 2LP Released Date: 18th November 2010 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Kenny Dorham Whistle Stop Jazz | Blue Note | 180g, 1LP Released 15th November 2016 £21.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Kenny Dorham Whistle Stop £21.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: LP84063 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 15th November 2016 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View John Coltrane Soultrane Jazz | Not Now Music | 180g, 1LP Released 2nd March 2015 £10.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders John Coltrane Soultrane £10.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Not Now Music SKU: LPCATLP118 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 2nd March 2015 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders
View Product Quick View Duke Ellington Anatomy of a Murder (Soundtrack) Jazz | Music On Vinyl | 180g, 1LP Released 18th February 2013 £20.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Duke Ellington Anatomy of a Murder (Soundtrack) £20.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Music On Vinyl SKU: MOVLP681 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 18th February 2013 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders