William Parker double quartet

Alphaville Suite, Rogue Art, 2007

"I first saw Jean Luc Godard's Alphaville on American television in the early 1970's.

It didn't take long for me to realize that Alphaville wasn't another science fiction spy thriller.

It was a wake up call for modern society to be vigilant.

Much like George's Orwell's 1984 it was prophetic in its prediction of the idea man invents machine; machine controls man and as a result our humanity is diminished [...] It was around this time that i began to see a similarity between narrative film and musical improvisation/composition.

Just as a film has a storyline, musical improvisation/composition has a melodic and rhythmic line.

In both forms there is dialogue, call and response;things happen that have to do with the texture, timbre, color and shape of the story.

The personalities of the characters affect everything. At the same time film is running through a movie projector at 24 frames per second.

The clicking of that projector produces both rhythm and melody and the actors in the film could be called sounds".

from the liner notes

tracklist:

1.alphaville main theme I

2.journey to the end of the night

3.natasha's themeI is the first version,which tells the saga in three stanzas.

4.interrogation

5.alpha 60

6.doctor badguy

7.oceanville evening

8.civilization of light

9.outlands

10.natasha's theme II

I can't believe your world is gone It is for you the sun will rise It's for you there's a sunrise Flowers grow in your womb When they blossom song is born

Sunrise beware moon is still here No place to hide light from inside They have killed all the poets Who have cried for the world And the children who wore numbers

Deep deep reverence covers the sky Then one strange day hope did return A great bird with blue feathers Flew through space Catching dreams On the mountain Made of magic