J.D. Parran

A stirring multi-instrumentalist, J.D. Parran has few recordings under his own name, but he has contributed quite effectively to some outstanding free dates. Parran plays a wide range of clarinets from soprano to contralto, as well as sopranino, bass, and tenor saxophone; flute; and other instruments. He has recorded with Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Hamiett Bluiett, John Lindberg, Peter Brötzmann, and the group Company (which included Derek Bailey, Jon Corbett, Hugh Davies, Jamie Muir, Evan Parker, Vinko Globokar, and Joelle Leandre). He can also be heard on three recordings -- Cliff, Traction, and Digging It Harder from Afar -- made during the late '80s and '90s by the New Winds trio, also featuring Ned Rothenberg and Robert Dick (trumpeter Herb Robertson replaced Parran for the 2006 New Winds recording Traction). Parran's own releases during the 2000s have included J.D. Parran & Spirit Stage, Omegathorp: Living City (co-led by banzatar and sitar player Mark Deutsch), and Window Spirits, a solo performance recorded live in 2009. He can also be heard on reissued discs by Jenkins, Bluiett, Hemphill, and others. ~ Ron Wynn