Psi Records

Last updated
Psi Records
Psi records logo.jpeg
Founded2001 (2001)
Founder Evan Parker
Distributor(s) Emanem Records
Genre Free improvisation, jazz
Country of originEngland
LocationLondon
Official website evanparker.com/psi.php

Psi Records is an independent record label that was founded by saxophonist Evan Parker, and that focuses on free improvisation.

Contents

History

Parker founded Psi in 2001 with the assistance of Martin Davidson of Emanem Records. [1] [2] Parker had previously co-founded Incus Records in 1970, but left the label in 1986, after which he recorded for Leo, FMP, Emanem, and ECM. [3] According to Parker, he started the label because he "missed the feeling of overseeing a project from start to finish," [3] and chose the name Psi "for all the associations with irrational numbers, golden ratios etc. but above all for the Psi phenomena which I am convinced are at the heart of improvised music making." [1]

From 2001 to 2012, Psi released nearly 90 CDs, [4] [5] after which Parker "decided that it's time to pause and think again." [6]

Practices

Parker stated that the goal of the label was "to represent my own music in the way I like to see it done and to draw people's attention to the work of other musicians who I feel are not given the prominence they deserve." According to writer Richard Williams, Psi "developed its own identity, visual and tactile as well as musical," with releases that featured a "unified (rather than uniform) design." [6] Critic Stuart Broomer described the label as having "the feeling of an expanded musical family," given the fact that many of the musicians had played with Parker prior to recording with Psi. [3]

Releases

Catalog #Release yearRecording yearAlbum namePersonnel
psi 01.0120012001Lines Burnt in Light Evan Parker
psi 02.0120021998 'Smatter Gerd Dudek
psi 02.0220022000The Grass is Greener Han Bennink and Evan Parker
psi 02.0320021980Six of OneEvan Parker
psi 02.0420021980From Saxophone and TromboneEvan Parker and George Lewis
psi 02.0520021972 Collective Calls (Urban) (Two Microphones) Evan Parker and Paul Lytton
psi 02.0620021997At Les Instants ChavirésEvan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton
psi 03.0120031975At the Unity TheatreEvan Parker and Paul Lytton
psi 03.02–320032002Free Zone Appleby 2002 (2 CDs)Various Artists
psi 03.0420031995–2003 Dream Sequence Kenny Wheeler
psi 03.0520032002Broomriding Alexander von Schlippenbach
psi 03.0620031986 The Snake Decides Evan Parker
psi 04.0120041973 Song for Someone Kenny Wheeler
psi 04.0220042003Suspensions and Anticipations Stan Tracey and Evan Parker
psi 04.03–420041980Pisa 1980 Improvisors Symposium (2 CDs)Various Artists
psi 04.0520042003Free Zone Appleby 2003Various Artists
psi 04.06–720042003America 2003 (2 CDs)Evan Parker, Alexander von Schlippenbach, and Paul Lytton
psi 04.0820042004Or AirJoel Ryan
psi 04.0920042002/4 Dead or Alive FURT
psi 04.1020042004GubbröraSten Sandell and David Stackenäs with Evan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton
psi 05.0120051975The London Concert Derek Bailey and Evan Parker
psi 05.0220052004 Iskra³ Paul Rutherford
psi 05.0320052003LDP - Cologne Urs Leimgruber, Jacques Demierre, and Barre Phillips
psi 05.0420052004CrevulationsStan Tracey and Evan Parker
psi 05.0520052004Free Zone Appleby 2004Various Artists
psi 05.0620052004Critical MassAgustí Fernández and Mats Gustafsson
psi 05.0720052004 Naan Tso Foxes Fox (Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, and Louis Moholo)
psi 06.0120062005Solo Rudi Mahall
psi 06.0220062005Crossing the RiverEvan Parker Octet
psi 06.0320061997Tarantella Aki Takase Piano Quintet
psi 06.0420062006Cut and ContinuumAdam Linson
psi 06.0520061970 The Topography of the Lungs Evan Parker
psi 06.0620062005Free Zone Appleby 2005Various Artists
psi 06.0720061977Biosystem Spontaneous Music Ensemble
psi 06.0820062005More is More Peter Evans
psi 06.0920062004/6 Omnivm FURT
psi 06.1020062004/5WinterreiseAlexander von Schlippenbach Trio
psi 07.0120072006Music from ColourDome Lawrence Casserley and Simon Desorgher
psi 07.0220072005La Lumière de Pierres François Houle, Evan Parker, and Benoît Delbecq
psi 07.0320072004ContraptionBark!
psi 07.0420072006Free Zone Appleby 2006Various Artists
psi 07.05–620072005spin networks (2 CDs)fORCH
psi 07.0720071983Hook, Drift & ShuffleEvan Parker
psi 08.0120081989Conic SectionsEvan Parker
psi 08.0220082005FURT plus "equals"FURT
psi 08.0320082007Journey Fred Van Hove
psi 08.0420082007Free Zone Appleby 2007Various Artists
psi 08.0520082007XylobiontJohn Eckhardt
psi 08.0620082003/7Improvisations for George RisteLondon Improvisers Orchestra
psi 08.0720082008Friulian SketchesAlexander von Schlippenbach
psi 08.0820082004Rue Victor Massé Ray Warleigh
psi 08.0920082008VolumeJohn Edwards
psi 09.0120091975 Saxophone Solos Evan Parker
psi 09.0220092007Beam StonePer Anders Nilsson, Sten Sandell, and Raymond Strid
psi 09.0320092007IntegumentLawrence Casserley and Adam Linson
psi 09.0420092007Un llamp que no s'acaba maiAgustí Fernández
psi 09.05–620092008Nature/Culture (2 CDs)Peter Evans
psi 09.0720092006–8Essex Foam PartyGrutronic
psi 09.0820092008/9 Sense FURT
psi 09.0920092003SETEvan Parker
psi 09.1020092007/8Adrift Richard Barrett
psi 10.0120102008Whitstable SoloEvan Parker
psi 10.0220102009Creak Above 33Nate Wooley and Paul Lytton
psi 10.0320102008A week went byAki Takase
psi 10.0420102009Wazifa Pat Thomas, Raymond Strid, and Clayton Thomas
psi 10.0520102009PsalmsEvan Parker and Sten Sandell
psi 10.0620102009Hyste John Russell
psi 10.0720102009StopsTony Marsh
psi 10.0820102009Cry, Want Hans Koller with Bill Frisell
psi 11.0120112009/10VentsAgustí Fernández and Joan Saura
psi 11.0220112011EPDJ Sniff
psi 11.0320112008–11Trance MapEvan Parker and Matthew Wright
psi 11.0420112010Lio Leo LeonLondon Improvisers Orchestra
psi 11.0520112008Figures and GroundsAdam Linson Systems Quartet
psi 11.0620112010Quartet ImprovisationsTony Marsh
psi 11.0720112006It won't be called broken chair Misha Mengelberg and Evan Parker
psi 11.0820112009Squall LineAleks Kolkowski and Ute Wassermann
psi 11.0920112009Together in Zero SpaceGrutronic and Evan Parker
psi 11.1020112010The Bleeding EdgeEvan Parker, Okkyung Lee, and Peter Evans
psi 12.0120122006Live at the VortexFoxes Fox
psi 12.0220122011Courants des VentsToma Gouband
psi 12.0320122010HasseltEvan Parker Electroacoustic Ensemble
psi 12.0420122009Fume of SighsBark!
psi 12.0520122012 Day and Night Gerd Dudek
psi 15.0120151978 Monoceros Evan Parker
psi 16.0120162012as the windEvan Parker

Sources: [4] [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Parker, Evan. "Psi Records". EvanParker.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  2. Eyles, John (May 12, 2009). "Derek Bailey and Evan Parker: Incus Reissues". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Broomer, Stuart (July 2011). "psi Records". New York City Jazz Record. p. 12.
  4. 1 2 "psi CD releases". Emanem Records. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "psi discography". JazzLists. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Williams, Richard (June 21, 2013). "Farewell to Psi". The Blue Moment. Retrieved March 24, 2023.