''New World Pygmies vol. 2'' is a double album by American jazz saxophonist

Jemeel Moondoc Jemeel Moondoc (August 5, 1946 – August 29, 2021) was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and studied clarinet and piano before s ...

and bassist William Parker, which was recorded live in 2000 and released on the

Eremite A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

label. The first disc documents a duo performance from

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, while the second includes guest drummer

Hamid Drake Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and Afr ...

from a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

set at the

Velvet Lounge The Velvet Lounge was a nightclub in the South Loop of Chicago. It started as a jazz club and was called the "dusty epicenter of the Midwest's free form jazz scene." It was located at 2128 1/2 S. Indiana Avenue before moving to 67 E. Cermak when th ...

.''New World Pygmies vol. 2''
at Eremite

Reception

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 ...

'' states "An intermittently powerful document which, as with so much in a obsessively documented area, sometimes feels like too much has been taken down." In a review for One Final Note, Scott Hreha wrote: "by all accounts, this was the point where Moondoc and Parker really hit their communicative stride. The discs certainly support this conclusion, offering full views of the duo in two distinct, yet wholly intimate settings... Even if you weren't fortunate enough to catch this truly dynamic duo in person, Eremite comes through once again with a soul-saver of a two-disc set. And with the clear, warm recording fidelity found on both discs, you might find yourself forgetting that you're one step removed from the real thing." Writing for Paris Transatlantic, Dan Warburton commented: "There's an integrity to Moondoc's music that is all too often lacking in the work of younger saxophonists, who seem to be more concerned with running all over the instrument, or even blowing it to pieces... Firstly, when you've got a sound on your horn as full and round as Moondoc's, you don't need to run through a whole book of scales and arpeggios to impress. Even in the most active pieces on offer here... you get the distinct impression that Moondoc can always find the necessary breathing space... There must be quite a few young cats out there who'd love to have an album out on Eremite, but they'd do well to remember music as fine as this only comes from many years of playing, training, fortifying and feeding the spirit - and you know it'll still be sounding just as great many years from now."

Track listing

''Disc One:'' #"Spirit House" (Moondoc) - 11:43 #"O'Neal's Porch" (Parker) - 17:10 #"New World Pygmies" (Moondoc/Parker) - 27:01 #"You Let Me Into Your Life" (Moondoc) - 17:15 ''Disc Two:'' #"New World Pygmies" (Moondoc/Parker) - 27:25 #"Blues for Katie Part I" (Moondoc) - 6:14 #"Blues for Katie Part II & III" (Moondoc) - 15:08 #"Three Clay Pots" (Parker) - 17:50

Personnel

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

soprano sax The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

* William Parker -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

, gralla *

trap drums A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

References

{{Jemeel Moondoc, state=autocollapse 2002 live albums Jemeel Moondoc live albums Eremite Records live albums