Ken Aldcroft & William Parker

Even to the staunchest avant-guardist, the music of Ken Aldcroft has always sounded sonically challenging. Capturing the gilded discord of Derek Bailey while transcending the instrument mauling of Bill Orcutt, the Toronto-via-Vancouver musician has managed to break down the experimental guitar genre to its most primal core. On One Sunday (his first big-name collaboration), Aldcroft fleshes out four free-associative anti-symphonies with modern jazz double bass legend William Parker. Running just under an-hour-and-20 minutes, One Sunday is given the freedom and space to allow Aldcroft and Parker to flesh each song out to its most adventurous potential. However, Aldcroft and Parker come off sounding constrained and idle, which don't always act as detractors, as Parker uncharacteristically takes the role of anchor, allowing Aldcroft to work freely with modes of recurrence and auditory signals. If anything, One Sunday is a great primer for Ken Aldcroft. This is a full-length collaboration that he will hopefully grow on listeners.