Recommended New Release,Evan Parker - The Heraclitean Two-Step etc.
by Barney Whittaker
Evan Parker’s solo performance at the Sailors’ Church in Ramsgate last month was already poised to be a singular experience. The venue, perched on the edge of the harbour and imbued with maritime heritage, provided a resonant, almost sacred acoustic space for the musician’s labyrinthine improvisations on the soprano saxophone — a growing rarity for audiences since he seldom performs this lone feat in public these days, but for a few unmatchable engagements each year.
The event marked the launch of The Heraclitean Two-Step, etc., a newly released 4-disc box set of solo recordings from the experimental label False Walls. As Parker took to the stage and unfurled his signature circular breathing technique, weaving endless, spiraling tones that seemed to bend the air itself, the atmosphere grew increasingly charged. Then, as he ascended to a particularly piercing frequency, a sudden disruption: two pigeons, previously roosting unnoticed in the rafters, exploded into a flurry of wings. The birds, seemingly agitated or perhaps summoned by the tonal contour, swooped and flapped erratically before settling again, as if deciding whether to flee or become part of the performance below.
Parker did not falter. If anything, the moment added another dimension to his improvisation: an unplanned call-and-response between breath, brass and beak. The audience, seated in rapt attention, watched as the interaction between performer and environment played out, the sound shaping not just human perception but the instincts of the creatures above. It was a fleeting, uncanny moment, one that underscored the raw physicality of Parker’s playing; living proof that sound, at the right frequency and intensity, doesn’t just move people, but everything in its path.
With a focus on flux and mutability, this newly released retrospective bridges past and present, covering three decades across four substantial discs. The first, The Heraclitean Two-Step, takes its name from the ancient Greek philosopher known for his belief that one can never step into the same river twice: both the water and the individual are forever altered.
Parker describes the 1994 performance featured here as “some of the best solo playing [he’s] ever done,” yet initially deemed it too brief for a standalone release. Enter CJ Mitchell, label founder and trusted creative accomplice, who encouraged the octogenarian improviser to mark his milestone birthday last year in grand fashion. Thus, Parker found himself not only revisiting the Warwick chapel where the previous recording was made, but also the theme of constant transformation that neatly inspires this collection’s title.
Fast forward to recent years and Parker has continued knapping the flint of his solo work, embracing an even freer phase of his career — though freedom has always been his hallmark. The remaining three discs feature a series of recordings made between 2018 and 2024 at Ramsgate’s Arco Barco, his “favorite studio,” located just steps from the Sailors’ Church and where he records “as often as possible.” In these intimate, unreleased pieces, Parker at once embodies the restless vagabond, driven by curiosity and the search for new experiences, as well as the seasoned traveller, returning home to reflect. Drawing his sharpened blade from the whetstone, the sensitivity found in his tangible embrace of chance feels both illuminating and invigorating.
Acoustic experiments of different intensities are scattered throughout, showcasing Parker’s talent for on-the-spot decision-making. Where analytical methods give way to a near trance-like intuition, this true master is revealed at the peak of his highly rewarding craft.
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