What/If/They Both Could Fly
| What/If/They Both Could Fly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 22 November 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 6 July 2012 at the Kongsberg Jazzfestival in Norway | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:11 | |||
| Label | Rune Grammofon RLP/RCD3149 | |||
| Joe McPhee chronology | ||||
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| Evan Parker chronology | ||||
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What/If/They Both Could Fly is a live album by Evan Parker and Joe McPhee recorded Norway in 2012 and released on the Norwegian Rune Grammofon label.[1][2]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
| DownBeat | [5] |
AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek stated "For fans of improvised music, What/If/They Both Could Fly has much to offer. For seasoned listeners, it will not likely reveal many hidden new doors, but it is enjoyable and engaging for its lively interplay, presented in a relaxed, open, and inquisitive fashion".[3]
In The Guardian, John Fordham wrote "It's a must for free-jazz disciples of Parker and McPhee, but the uninitiated may also find much to enjoy in this gracefully rational and divertingly varied exhibition of improv".[4]
DownBeat reviewer Bill Meyer commented: "Nothing about this 2012 performance, recorded... when saxophonist Evan Parker was 68 and saxophonist-trumpeter Joe McPhee was 73, sounds like the work of musicians who are anywhere short of the top of their game... they sound quite in tune with each other, whether adding to one another's ideas or holding back to give the other space."[5]
Track listing
All compositions by Evan Parker and Joe McPhee
- "What" - 18:52
- "If" - 13:54
- "They Both Could Fly" - 6:25
Personnel
References
- ^ Joe McPhee discography accessed 29 April 2015
- ^ Rune Grammofon album entry accessed 29 April 2015
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. What/If/They Both Could Fly – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ a b Fordham, John (19 December 2013). "Evan Parker/Joe McPhee: What/If/They Both Could Fly – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b Meyer, Bill (February 2014). "What / If / They Both Could Fly". DownBeat. p. 83.