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The most intriguing new release I've heard in 2000 is Longineu Parsons' brilliant CD called "Spaced: Collected Works 1980-1999" (Ubiquity Records). Parsons is one of those multi-threat musicians whose energy and ability combine for an outstanding album.
A music professor at Florida A&M University, Parsons plays trumpet and other instruments, composes, and sings. He has performed with many name players, including Doc Severinson, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Mann, Philly Joe Jones, Sun Ra and Nat Adderley.
In the liner notes, Parsons states that he has tried to make a meaningful statement with music. "I dont want my music to be just entertainment, though I hope it is entertaining."
Parsons says his music demonstrates that differences are not reasons for conflict. "The point of my music is that these differences are not reasons for conflict but opportunities to learn," he says.
Ironically, Parsons pays tribute to his mentor Nat Adderley, "whose has been a mentor to me for my entire career to date. His help and encouragement have helped me make it through many dark nights."
Adderley, one of the giants of jazz, died Jan. 2 in Lakeland, Fla. after a long bout with diabetes.
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Starting out from a small record shop on Haight Street in San Francisco, the label has expanded into a company of three imprints and over 140 releases. Ubiquity was the first label to offer a complete guarantee allowing customers to return CDs they didn't like.
The story of Ubiquity Recordings begins when the owners of the Groove Merchant record shop Jody and Michael McFadin established Luv N' Haight Records in 1990. The McFadins knew that many rare groove records were available only at exorbitant prices or on bootlegs. Their label offered a third option. By tracking down and licensing in-demand musical obscurities they made collectors and artists happy.
Ubiquity, which quickly became the mother label, was created in 1993 as an outlet for a dance-music phenomenon developing throughout the world, with strong connections in San Francisco. Widely known as acid jazz, some of Ubiquity's first releases - Home Cookin', Mo' Cookin', Still Cookin' and DJ Greyboy's Freestylin' - were key releases for the genre. When the acid-jazz scene was commercially "discovered," the creativity and energy which initially propelled the movement seemed to disappear and Ubiquity releases shifted direction.
The label has developed a worldwide following for its club-music releases. Many Ubiquity artists produce music that is difficult to pigeon-hole. The label refuses to be genre-defined and Ubiquity musicians are afforded a great deal of creative control. Each year Ubiquity releases No Categories, a compilation that celebrates the labels musical diversity.
The third space under the Ubiquity Recordings umbrella is occupied by CuBop, a label dedicated to releasing Latin and Afro-Cuban flavored jazz. Initiated in 1995, CuBop has set the standard for a genre that has undergone a massive resurgence over the past 2 years. The CuBop catalog includes new recordings from legends such as conguero Francisco Aguabella, Bobby Matos, Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers, and trumpeter Papo Vazquez, alongside upcoming stars like Johnny Blas.
Ubiquity's on-line presence will increase rapidly over the next year. The label was one of the first to develop a Web site, www.ubiquityrecords.com, for informational and e-commerce purposes, and has recently made numerous deals to guarantee releases are available in MP3 format.
Much of the music in this new album came off a self-produced CD and a cassette, both produced in the 80s. There also are remixes from Amalgamation of Sounds and Ptaah. The result is an album that offers Parson and his cohorts in a mixture of jazz attitudes. Always at the front is Parsons, who plays flugelhorn trumpet, alto sax, soprano sax, and bass recorder.
Marking Anniversary
What follows is an edited version of a press release from Ubiquity, the folks who released Longineau Parsons' CD.
San Francisco-based Ubiquity Recordings celebrates its 10th anniversary in the year 2000. Releasing club tracks, dancefloor jazz, hip hop, funk, jazz, and soul reissues, Latin and Afro-Cuban music, and even a bit of electronic pop, the label offers a unique, eclectic urban experience.
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Future releases include albums by the highly respected John Santos and by Latin jazz veterans Ray Armando and Arturo Sandoval. CuBop re-issues include the now-legendary album by the Har-You Percussion Group, Pucho's 70s Latin-funk efforts Yaina and Super Freak, and the Latin Jazz Dance Classics series featuring tracks from the vaults of Fantasy Records. There are now over 30 releases in the Cubop catalog.
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