''Parallel Galaxy'' is the first solo album by American musician

Emmett Chapman Emmett Chapman (September 28, 1936 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz musician best known as the inventor of the Chapman Stick and maker of the Chapman Stick family of instruments. Career Chapman started his career as a guitarist, recor ...

, released in 1985 on Backyard Records. The album is also one of the earliest to feature the

Chapman Stick The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines, ...

, a stringed instrument developed by Chapman. (

Alphonso Johnson Alphonso Johnson (born February 2, 1951) is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock and ...

and

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...

had used a Stick a few years earlier). This album represented both an example of Chapman's artistry on the Stick, and also showed other musicians what was possible on the Stick. Though not a top-selling album, it inspired many musicians to pick up the Stick. The track "Back Yard" appears in the

Alan Smithee Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined in 1968 and used until it was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild o ...

version of the 1984 film ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

''. The entire album was recorded without overdubs. It included

Bruce Gary Bruce Gary (April 7, 1951 – August 22, 2006) was an American musician who was best known as the drummer for the music group the Knack. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards as a stage performer, producer, and recording artist. Born in Bu ...

on drums, Josh Hanna on vocal effects and Dan Chapman (Emmett's brother) on harmonica. Initially released on vinyl, the album was remastered and released on CD in 1999.

Track listing

;Side 1 # "Back Yard" # "Margueritas In The Waves" # "Eleanor Rigby" # "Pumpernickel Pump" # "Waltzing Matilda" ;Side 2 # "A Lotus On Irish Streams" # "Voices" # "My Favorite Things" # "Parallel galaxy" # "Gypsy"

Reception

A 1999 review of the album's rerelease on CD for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

described the album as "upbeat and playful", at its best reminiscent of country or bluegrass influenced jazz in the style of

Bela Fleck Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur, ...

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...

, though somewhat dated and gimmicky: "I find this an interesting listen but if it wasn’t extra-valued as Chapman’s debut Stick release I may have passed on it".

References

{{Authority control Jazz albums by American artists 1985 albums