Evan Parker has hit New York for shows before – Gotham will always open its doors to revered global kingpins of free improvisation – but his extended stays at the Stone featuring round-robin guest groupings of Euro and domestic superheroes is still a somewhat novel scenario that should be put in both CAPS and italics on any jazz fan’s calendar – you’ve gotta grab it while it’s around. The 70-year-old UK sax virtuoso is an icon of abstraction, sculpting an intriguing slab of the modern avant lingo for most of the last half-century. His blend of multiphonics and microtones is both arresting and inviting, and his skills at sharing ideas in group settings continue to grow more eloquent with each year. This time ‘round he’s a magnet, luring Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove and expat bassist Barre Phillips for rare Gotham visits. Encounters with Matthew Shipp, Nate Wooley, and Craig Taborn are also slated, but a foursome with John Escreet, John Hébert, and Tyshawn Sorey is ultra-fetching – their Sound, Space And Structures (Sunnyside) is one of 2014’s more gripping affairs.
The Stone, Avenue C + 2nd Street, NYC. 8 pm + 10 pm. $15.
Lament For A Straight Line 