| At the Unity Theatre | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Recorded | January 7, 1975 | |||
| Venue | Unity Theatre, London | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Label | Incus 14 | |||
| Evan Parker chronology | ||||
| ||||
At the Unity Theatre is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded in January 1975 at the Unity Theatre in London, and was released later that year by Incus Records. The album was reissued on CD, with three extra tracks, by Psi Records in 2003. [1] [2] [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
In a review for AllMusic, François Couture wrote that, in relation to Collective Calls (Urban) (Two Microphones) ,: "the music is overall more feverish and loud, but it loses nothing in subtlety and intelligence... 'In the Midst of Laughter and Glee'... stands as one of their best improvisations from that period... Lytton spends little time playing the drum kit in a conventional way. Instead he focuses on objects and scrap metal, but still makes quite a racket." [4]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album 4 stars, and stated: "Parker's usual armoury is extended on this occasion by the Lyttonophone, while Paul deploys an augmented kit and auxiliary sources. A classic." [5]
Writing for The Guardian , John Fordham commented: "Unlike some free-improv of the day, it's very eventful; the music is varied, both texturally and dynamically. And it is fascinating simply as an insight into the evolution of Parker as a pioneer." [6]
Derek Taylor, in a review for Dusted Magazine, remarked: "it's... fascinating to hear Parker's approach at this earlier interval in the development of his art. The requisite elements are all in place, but interestingly enough he largely abstains from the sort of serpentine circular breathing marathons that are his bread and butter today." [7]
Writing for Bells, Henry Kuntz commented: "The music of Evan Parker and Paul Lytton is part of an ever growing body of music that is entirely improvised, improvisation now becoming an end in itself rather than a means to a predefined (and more constricted) end. Their new LP... is highly recommended." [8]
Evan Shaw Parker is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation.
Saxophone Solos is a solo soprano saxophone album by Evan Parker. Three of the tracks were recorded live on June 17, 1975, at the Unity Theatre in London, and the remaining music was recorded on September 9, 1975 at the FMP Studio in Berlin. The album was initially released on LP in 1976 by Incus Records, and was reissued on CD in 1995 by Chronoscope records with nine additional tracks bearing subtitles from Samuel Beckett, again on CD in 2009 by Psi Records, and again on LP in 2021 by Otoroku Records. The contents of the album, plus a previously-missing track from the studio session, were also included in a 1989 limited-edition box set compilation titled Collected Solos, issued by Cadillac Distribution.
Monoceros is an album of solo soprano saxophone improvisations by British jazz saxophonist Evan Parker. It was recorded directly to disk using the direct-cut technique, with assistance from Numar Lubin, Gerald Reynolds and Michael Reynolds of Nimbus Records. It was initially released on Parker and Derek Bailey's Incus Records label in 1978, and was reissued by Chronoscope (1999), Psi (2015), and Treader (2020).
The Snake Decides is a studio album by British jazz saxophonist Evan Parker. It was released in 1988 on Parker and Derek Bailey's Incus Records label, re-released on Parker's Psi label in 2003, and reissued again in remastered form with new liner notes by Brian Morton on the Otoroku label in 2018.
Barry John Guy is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of orchestras in the UK and Europe. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music under Buxton Orr, and later taught there.
Paul Lytton is an English free jazz and free improvising percussionist.
Toward the Margins is an album by the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, recorded in 1996 and released on the ECM New Series the following year.
The Redwood Session is an album by saxophonist Evan Parker with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton recorded in 1995 which was the first release on the CIMP label.
Quintessence is a live album by the Spontaneous Music Ensemble featuring percussionist/cornetist John Stevens saxophonists Trevor Watts and Evan Parker, guitarist Derek Bailey, and bassist Kent Carter which was recorded in 1973 and released on the Emanem label. The album was first released in two parts on separate LPs entitles Eighty Five Minutes in 1986 then with additional material as two separate CDs entitled Quintessence in 1997 and finally as a single 2-CD set in 2007.
Atlanta is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker. It was recorded in December 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia, and was released by Impetus Records in 1990. On the album, Parker is joined by bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton.
Natives and Aliens is an album by the members of the Evan Parker Trio, with guest pianist Marilyn Crispell. It was recorded on May 24, 1996, at Gateway Studios in London, and was released in 1997 by Leo Records.
Collective Calls (Urban) , subtitled "an improvised urban psychodrama in eight parts", is an album by saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded in April 1972 at the Standard Essence Co, a small loft space in London, and was released later that year by Incus Records. The album was reissued on CD by Psi Records in 2002.
The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie is a live solo trombone album by Paul Rutherford, his first release under his own name. It was recorded at Unity Theatre, London during 1974, and was initially released on LP in 1976 by Emanem Records. In 1986, Emanem reissued the album on LP, and, in 1997, the label reissued it on CD with an additional track.
The Bishop's Move is a live album that combines two trios, one led by saxophonist Evan Parker, and the other led by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. It was recorded on May 19, 2003, at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec, Canada, and was released in 2004 by Les Disques Victo. Parker is accompanied by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Paul Lytton, while Brötzmann is joined by bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake.
At the Vortex is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker, bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded on June 26, 1996, at The Vortex in London, and was released by Emanem Records in 1998.
Live at Maya Recordings Festival is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker, double bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded during September 23–25, 2011, at the Theater am Gleis in Winterthur, Switzerland, and was released on both vinyl and CD in 2013 by NoBusiness Records.
Music for David Mossman: Live at Vortex London is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker, double bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded on July 14, 2016, at the Vortex Jazz Club in London, and was released in 2018 by Intakt Records. The album is dedicated to the founder of the Vortex, who died in December 2018.
Naan Tso is an album by the free improvisation ensemble known as Foxes Fox, featuring saxophonist Evan Parker, pianist Steve Beresford, double bassist John Edwards, and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo. It was recorded on October 27, 2004, at Gateway Studios in London, and was released in 2005 by Psi Records. The album was recorded five years after the group's debut album, and roughly a year prior to the departure of Moholo-Moholo, who moved back to his native South Africa in September 2005 after years of exile in England.
'Smatter is an album by saxophonist Gerd Dudek. It was recorded on February 20, 1998, at Gateway Studios in London, and was issued in 2002 by Psi Records as the label's second release. On the album, Dudek is joined by guitarist John Parricelli, double bassist Chris Laurence, and drummer Tony Levin. The album features three compositions by Kenny Wheeler, including the title track, plus three jazz standards.
Omnivm is a live album by the electronic music duo FURT, consisting of Richard Barrett and Paul Obermayer. Tracks 2 and 3 were recorded on March 9, 2005, at St Oswald's Church, Durham, England, while tracks 1 and 4 were recorded on April 25, 2006, at the Sonic Arts Research Centre in Belfast. The album is dedicated to composer Iannis Xenakis, and was released in 2006 by Psi Records.
