''At the Unity Theatre'' is a live album by saxophonist

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

and drummer

Paul Lytton Paul Lytton (born 8 March 1947, London) is an English free jazz and free improvising percussionist. Lytton began on drums at age 16. He played jazz in London in the late 1960s while taking lessons on the tabla from P.R. Desai. In 1969 he began ...

. It was recorded in January 1975 at the Unity Theatre in London, and was released later that year by

Incus Records Incus Records is a British record company and label founded by Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley, Evan Parker and Michael Walters that specializes in free jazz and improvised music. The first release on the label was Incus Number 0 (zero), a 7 “ re ...

. The album was reissued on CD, with three extra tracks, by Psi Records in 2003.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, 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." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' 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." Writing for

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

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." 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." Writing for Bells,

Henry Kuntz Henry Kuntz is a free jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. In 1979 he founded Hummingbird Records and Tapes, which released, among other things, live recordings of his free jazz trio, Trio Opeye. Cadence Magazine described his multitrack r ...

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."

Track listing

Original 1975 LP release

# "In The Midst Of Laughter And Glee" – 18:07 # "On Reflection" – 5:31 # "Mild Steel Rivets For P.H." – 14:50 # "The Dirlston Dirler" – 7:30

Extra tracks on 2003 CD release

# "Through Consensus" – 18:26 # "To Unity" – 4:03 # "Bonus Track" – 0:08

Personnel

– soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, reeds, pole drum, bullroarer, cassette recorder *

– percussion, electronics, voice

References

{{Reflist 1975 live albums Evan Parker live albums Live free jazz albums Incus Records live albums