William Parker, born January 10, 1952, in New York, is an American free jazz
double bassist. He began his musical journey as a self-taught musician, studying
with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware from 1970 to 1973. His
breakthrough came in the 1980s when he joined the groups of pianist Cecil Taylor
and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. He also toured with David S. Ware’s quartet and
Roscoe Mitchell. In 1995, he released his album In Order to Survive. Notable
collaborations include working with Hamid Drake on the album Piercing The Veil
in 2001. He has been a key figure i...