On the first few listens to this sprawling 2 CD set, one notices how little of William Parker's bass is on this album. Oh, it's there, but it's subsumed under walls of drums and percussion. Both Parker and jazz drummer Hamid Drake are playing percussion throughout the album, with Parker's funky and occasionally noisy bass guitar appearing almost as an afterthought. Divided into two parts, Piercing the Veil features studio tracks from Parker and Drake while First Communion catches them in a live setting. Piercing the Veil is the standout of the two disks, with lots of great percussion work from both men, featuring some exotic instruments like the tabla, the shakuhachi and the dumbek. This album also slides more easily into the free jazz style that Parker is known for. First Communion is three tracks of live percussion and bass and the only part of the album that features Parker's stellar bass work. The live bits here are interesting, but sprawl beyond 20 minutes at times, leaving this part of the album unfocused. It's good, but ultimately uninteresting compared to Piercing the Veil.

By Steve Marlow
Apr 28, 2007