Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Given that the three names that adorn this cover are placed in alphabetical order, it is safe -- before even hearing Farmers by Nature -- to assume that there is no leader in this acoustic trio. The principals here, drummer Gerald Cleaver, bassist William Parker, and pianist Craig Taborn, are all seasoned veterans of the N.Y.C. improvisation and free jazz scenes, but it's also true that two of these players hail from the experimental and post-bop scenes in the Detroit of the 1990s. Parker is the only New York native. What's happening here does have the decided feel of something else. Free jazz and free improv do mainly hail from -- and thrive in -- urban centers, but seldom have they felt this organic in the last decade or so. The title and the acoustic instrumentation -- as well as the snapshots of various plants and flowers on the cover -- all hint at the teeming life to be found inside this music that was recorded in performance at the Stone on June 19, 2008.
The brief improvisation that opens this set, called "Korteh Khah," features the rumbling bass strings of Parker, the scattershot rhythmic chant of Taborn, and the cymbal work of Cleaver, with assorted bells and percussion added to the mix. It doesn't get much more basic or organic than this as it unfolds; the piano notes are single notes with little or no sustain as Parker begins to play a pattern on the bass. But it's all so close to the bone, outside to be sure, but never harsh -- in fact, this little number finds a groove before the nearly nine-minute "The Night" commences, with its sparse chord voicings, elongated held bass notes, and only minimal percussion until it unfolds in a mysterious structural labyrinth, where shimmering hints of melody and pronounceable rhythms seemingly appear. Taborn's piano finds traces of Jaki Byard's ghost in his harmonics and Parker bows, rubs, and pulls on his bass strings. Cleaver uses multiple elements besides his drums to begin to underscore the tale and interact with Parker to find a proper narrative, though Taborn keeps it loose and meandering. It is a stunning, gradually revealing track that showcases all the various strengths of this ensemble.
There are three ten-plus-minute improvisations here, including "Cranes," which begins with Cleaver and Parker's click-clack "rhythm'ning" at its commencement. The stop-start, halting stutter of free improv is certainly here, as is dissonance, but it holds no harsh edges, and its movement is never, ever static. Instead it flows; it never concerns itself with intensity -- sometimes it finds it, and sometimes it remains meandering, slowly but surely from a coil into the open meadow of sound itself. So intent is the raw, primal aspect of rhythm in these pieces that one can forget that this is a "piano trio," because it is a rhythm section first: check the interlocking angles on "Not Unlike Number 10," with the interlocking groove of rim shots and Parker playing the wood on his bass in front of the piano, which fills in signatures with accents, a minor use of arpeggios, and contrapuntal percussive statements. The only tune to sound even remotely conventional in terms of a piano trio is "In Trees," which actually approaches moments of swinging post-bop, but even this is stretched to the breaking point. Farmers by Nature is not for the casual jazz fan. It gives up its secrets slowly, but the gems hidden in this sonic earth are plentiful, poetic, and remarkable. One can only hope this trio explores this terrain more in the future.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $16.65/month
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
William Parker, Artist - Craig Taborn, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, Artist - Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn), MainArtist - Farmers By Nature, Artist - Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Composer
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
Album review
Given that the three names that adorn this cover are placed in alphabetical order, it is safe -- before even hearing Farmers by Nature -- to assume that there is no leader in this acoustic trio. The principals here, drummer Gerald Cleaver, bassist William Parker, and pianist Craig Taborn, are all seasoned veterans of the N.Y.C. improvisation and free jazz scenes, but it's also true that two of these players hail from the experimental and post-bop scenes in the Detroit of the 1990s. Parker is the only New York native. What's happening here does have the decided feel of something else. Free jazz and free improv do mainly hail from -- and thrive in -- urban centers, but seldom have they felt this organic in the last decade or so. The title and the acoustic instrumentation -- as well as the snapshots of various plants and flowers on the cover -- all hint at the teeming life to be found inside this music that was recorded in performance at the Stone on June 19, 2008.
The brief improvisation that opens this set, called "Korteh Khah," features the rumbling bass strings of Parker, the scattershot rhythmic chant of Taborn, and the cymbal work of Cleaver, with assorted bells and percussion added to the mix. It doesn't get much more basic or organic than this as it unfolds; the piano notes are single notes with little or no sustain as Parker begins to play a pattern on the bass. But it's all so close to the bone, outside to be sure, but never harsh -- in fact, this little number finds a groove before the nearly nine-minute "The Night" commences, with its sparse chord voicings, elongated held bass notes, and only minimal percussion until it unfolds in a mysterious structural labyrinth, where shimmering hints of melody and pronounceable rhythms seemingly appear. Taborn's piano finds traces of Jaki Byard's ghost in his harmonics and Parker bows, rubs, and pulls on his bass strings. Cleaver uses multiple elements besides his drums to begin to underscore the tale and interact with Parker to find a proper narrative, though Taborn keeps it loose and meandering. It is a stunning, gradually revealing track that showcases all the various strengths of this ensemble.
There are three ten-plus-minute improvisations here, including "Cranes," which begins with Cleaver and Parker's click-clack "rhythm'ning" at its commencement. The stop-start, halting stutter of free improv is certainly here, as is dissonance, but it holds no harsh edges, and its movement is never, ever static. Instead it flows; it never concerns itself with intensity -- sometimes it finds it, and sometimes it remains meandering, slowly but surely from a coil into the open meadow of sound itself. So intent is the raw, primal aspect of rhythm in these pieces that one can forget that this is a "piano trio," because it is a rhythm section first: check the interlocking angles on "Not Unlike Number 10," with the interlocking groove of rim shots and Parker playing the wood on his bass in front of the piano, which fills in signatures with accents, a minor use of arpeggios, and contrapuntal percussive statements. The only tune to sound even remotely conventional in terms of a piano trio is "In Trees," which actually approaches moments of swinging post-bop, but even this is stretched to the breaking point. Farmers by Nature is not for the casual jazz fan. It gives up its secrets slowly, but the gems hidden in this sonic earth are plentiful, poetic, and remarkable. One can only hope this trio explores this terrain more in the future.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 6 track(s)
- Total length: 01:05:03
- Main artists: Farmers By Nature (Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn)
- Composer: Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Craig Taborn
- Label: AUM Fidelity
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2009 AUM Fidelity 2009 AUM Fidelity
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.