TERI PARKER’S FREE SPIRITS

PEAKS AND VALLEYS

Modica Music

Teri Parker, piano/spoken word; Lauren Falls, upright & electric bass; Mackenzie Longpre, drums; Mario Allende, percussion; Rebecca Hennessy, trumpet/voice; Alison Young, alto saxophone/voice; Allison Au, alto saxophone.

A contemporary jazz group was formed in 2019, under the leadership of pianist, composer Teri Parker.  They call themselves, ‘Free Spirits’ and are based in Toronto, Canada.  Originally, this group was formed as a tribute to the talents of two legendary pianists: Mary Lou Williams (1910 to 1981) and Geri Allen (1957 to 2017).

Their opening tune begins with Teri Parker setting the mood on piano. Lauren Falls adds her warm upright bass to the mix. “Unconditional Love” is a composition by Geri Allen and it’s quite beautiful.  When Rebecca Hennessy joins the players on her sensuous trumpet, the mood is established.  The arrangement grows with the addition of horn harmonics (two saxes and a trumpet). The lilting drums of Mackenzie Longpre push the music along like a brisk Autumn breeze, enhanced by Parker’s very rhythmic piano.  Longpre’s drums begin the next Geri Allen tune titled appropriately “Drummer’s Song.”  The repetitive piano line, repeated by a saxophone, creates an ostinato for the drums to dance upon.

The Mary Lou Williams composition called “Gloria” is arranged with a funk beat and is quite contemporary. Rebecca Hennessy is featured on trumpet, singing us the melody.  This is followed by five songs that Teri Parker has composed. “Gemini II” is the first one featuring a pop jazz arrangement.  The next song is titled “Survival.”  This arrangement includes a spoken word piece performed by Parker.

She asks: “Dear Children, what will you do when the honeybees are taken away … when the fires burn our cities down? … What is up there in the land of the free?”

The third song is titled “Giantess,” bringing the blues into this diversified album.  It features a boogie-woogie piano and the vocals of alto saxophonist, Alison Young, who also solos wildly on her horn.  Teri Parker takes a piano solo above the shuffle created by Longpre’s drums and Lauren Falls’ bass licks.  Longpre is given the spotlight to showcase her drum skills. The fourth Parker composition is called, “Bear Hug.”   It’s a pretty ballad with lovely chord changes. I enjoyed hearing Falls bow her upright bass in a quiet, but solid support of this arrangement. The final song that Teri Parker penned is titled “Perseverance.”  We all must have some of that in this world of challenge and change.  Once again, the Free Spirits group builds their contemporary arrangement atop a loop of repetition to begin this song. It quickly grows intensely, like a house plant reaching towards the sun streaming through a nearby window.  They close with another Mary Lou Williams tune “Rosa Mae” that dips into the blues-bag again.  This time they feature trumpeter Rebecca Hennessy on lead vocals, accompanied by the alto sax of Allison Au, who fills in the spaces between Rebecca’s voice with saxophone lines both complimentary and creative. This is a mainly female band that brings artistic innovation and historic content to their concerts. Their album is made possible with the support of grants from the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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