Evan Parker

“Free improvisation is not a style, it is a way of dealing with the unpredictable.”

“I'm trying to make a case for a kind of music that doesn't have a narrative basis, that has a more abstract basis.”

“The instrument is a conduit, a channel for ideas that are floating in the air.”

“I'm interested in the physics of the instrument, the acoustics of the instrument.”

“The whole point of free improvisation is that it's about the eternal present.”

“For me, the saxophone is a machine for producing a continuous stream of sound.”

“My test for a good concert is when I leave the stage and I don't know what I did.”

“The tradition I come from is the tradition of innovation.”

“The music is a conversation. Sometimes it’s a monologue, sometimes it’s a dialogue, sometimes it’s a group discussion.”

“You have to find your own voice on the instrument. It's not about copying others.”

“Improvisation is a way of thinking in action.”

“The silence is as important as the notes.”

“The challenge is to be open to whatever happens in the moment.”

“Circular breathing is just a plumbing detail, really. It's the musical thinking that has to be continuous, not just the sound.”