Bradley Parker-Sparrow


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Born in 1954 in Chicago, Bradley Parker-Sparrow is a prolific pianist, composer, producer, recording engineer and label owner.

Sparrow composed music for the ballet, various theatrical productions, films and documentaries. He produced over 300 albums for many labels including AECO Records, Concord Jazz, Flying Fish (2), Universal, SteepleChase and Delmark Records. He participated at the Chicago Jazz Festival on piano in 1978-1979.

In 1977, at the age of 23, Sparrow established Sparrow Sound Design Recording Studio, where many prolific artists had been recording since, including The Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Yusef Lateef and Richie Cole. In 1979 he opened his own recording label Southport Records, which is dedicated to documenting Chicago's versatile and fruitful jazz scene. In late 1990s, Sparrow launched Southport's sister label Northport.

ALBUMS


Joanie Pallatto & Bradley Parker-Sparrow
Song
2025, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Vocal/Free Improvisation
Joanie Pallatto & Sparrow*
Float Out To Sea
2017, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Joanie Pallatto & Bradley Parker-Sparrow
Days
2013, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Avant-garde Jazz
Bradley Parker-Sparrow
The Light: A Tone Poem
2004, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Free Jazz
Parker* & Joanie Pallatto
Canned Beer
2003, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Bradley Parker-Sparrow
We Are Not Machines: With Excerpts From Watch - A John Covert Film
2001, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Hal Russell / Michael Staron* / Sparrow* & Rick Shandling
Albert's Lullaby
2000, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Avant-garde Jazz/Free Jazz
Bradley Parker-Sparrow
Solo
1995, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Free Jazz
Tatsu Aoki & Sparrow*
If It Wasn't For Paul
1995, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Bradley Parker-Sparrow
The Desert Rat Suite
1991, CD, Southport Records, ,
Free Jazz
Sparrow AM/FM* Featuring Joanie Pallatto
Sparrow AM/FM Featuring Joanie Pallatto
1981, LP, Album, Neon Records (17), ,
Jazz-Rock/Free Jazz/Avant-garde Jazz/Hard Bop/Swing/Cape Jazz
Sparrow AM/FM* Featuring Joanie Pallatto
Hit - Hook
1981, 7", Single, Neon Records (17)
Sparrow*
Latin Black
1979, LP, Sparrow Sound Design
Joanie Pallatto Featuring Fareed Haque
My Original Plan
2021, CD, Southport Records
George Freeman / Chico Freeman
All In The Family
2015, CD, Southport Records
George Flynn - Larry Combs, Katherine Hughes, Peter Szczepanek, Stuart Leitch, Heather O'Donnell
Remembering (Solo And Chamber Music By George Flynn)
2013, CD, Album, Southport Records
George Flynn - Christopher Costanza, Stefan Hersh, Keith Conant
String Fever
2012, CD, Album, Southport Records
Bobby Lewis
Instant Groove
2006, CD, Album, Southport Records,
TV Pow
Presents Michael Hartman Todd A. Carter And Brent Gutzeit As TV Pow
2006
Roscoe Mitchell / Tatsu Aoki
First Look: Chicago Duos
2005, CD, Album, Southport Records
Susan May
Black Coffee
2005, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Vocal
Katherine Hughes, George Flynn
Together (Music For Violin And Piano By George Flynn)
2005, CD, Album, Southport Records
George Flynn
American Rest
2002, CD, Southport Records
George Flynn
Pieces Of Night: Three American Nocturnes
2002, CD, RM, Liv, Southport Records
George Flynn, Geoffrey Douglas Madge
Derus Simples
2001, CD, Album, Southport Records
The Mark Fechner Jazz Experience
Wing It
1999, CD, Album, Southport Records
Joanie Pallatto
Words & Music
1999, CD, Album, Southport Records
Rob Ryndak
Boundless
1998, CD, Album, Southport Records,
April Aloisio
Easy To Love
1998, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Bossa Nova/Latin Jazz
Various
A Chicago Jazz Tour
1997
Paulinho Garcia
Jazzmineiro
1996, CD, Album, Southport, Southport
George Freeman
Rebellion
1995, CD, Album, Southport Records
Bobby Lewis
Inside This Song
1993, CD, Album, Southport Records
Eden Atwood
No One Ever Tells You
1993
Damon Short
All Of The Above
1990, CD, Album, Southport Records, ,
Free Jazz
Von Freeman
Walkin' Tuff!
1989, CD, Southport Records
Joanie Pallatto
Whisper Not
1986, LP, Album, Southport Records
Randy Murray*
Randy's Blues
1984, LP, Album, Sparrow Sound Design
Orchestra Of The Eighth Day*
Music For The End
1982
Joanie Pallatto
Accidental Melody
2023, CD, Album, Southport Records
Leslie Hunt
From The Strange To A Stranger
2007, CD, Album, Not On Label (Leslie Hunt Self-released)
Joel Cummins
Common Sense
2002, CD, Album, JNC
Erwin Helfer With John Brumbach
I'm Not Hungry But I Like To Eat - BLUES!
2001, CD, Album, The Sirens Records, ,
Chicago Blues/Piano Blues/Boogie Woogie
Yusef Lateef, Von Freeman
Tenors Of Yusef Lateef And Von Freeman
1992, CD, Album, YAL Records, YAL Records
Colorado Kenny
Colorado Kenny
1985, LP, F.R.O.G.G. Records
Aaron Freeman
Live At Crosscurrents
1983, LP, Album, Crosscurrents Records

APPEARANCES +


Erwin Helfer, Angela Brown (6), Clark Dean & Odie Payne Jr*
Live At The Piano Man
1984
George Freeman Special Guest Billy Branch
George The Bomb!
2019, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Jason Kao Hwang*, Francis Wong, Tatsu Aoki + Special Guest Wu Man
Graphic Evidence
2006, CD, Asian Improv Records
April Aloisio
April Aloisio
2006
Roscoe Mitchell
The Solo Concert
2004
Posture of Reality : Wu Man, Tatsu Aoki
Posture of Reality
2003, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Sten Sandell
Solid Musik
2002, CD, Album, Nuscope Recordings, ,
Free Improvisation
Manolo Heras Con Tomás De Utrera*
Grabaciones Inéditas
2002, CD, Album, Fonomusic
Martha Lorin
Come Walk With Me
2000, CD, Album, Southport Records
Fred Anderson Quartet
Volume Two
2000, 2xCD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Alexandra Billings
Being Alive
2000, CD, Album, Southport Records
Fred Anderson Quartet
Volume One
1999, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Power Trio
At Unity Temple
1999, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Tricolor
Mirth + Feckless
1999, CD, Album, Atavistic
Skinny Williams
Skinny Swings
1999, CD, Album, Not On Label (Skinny Williams Self-released),
Jade Blue
Jade Blue
1999, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
George Freeman
George Burns!
1999, CD, Album, Southport Records,
Fred Van Hove
Passing Waves
1998, CD, Album, Nuscope Recordings, ,
Free Improvisation
Art Ensemble Of Chicago*
Coming Home Jamaica
1998, CD,
Das Bruce
I Think I'm In Love (Ooh Child!)
1998
Roscoe Mitchell Trio
The Day And The Night
1997, CD, Album, Dizim Records, ,
Free Jazz
Fred Anderson
Fred - Chicago Chamber Music
1997, 2xCD, Album, Southport Records
Art Ensemble Of Chicago* Special Guest Muhal Richard Abrams
Kabalaba (Live At Montreux Jazz Festival)
1997
Fred Anderson Quartet
Birdhouse
1996, CD, Album, Okka Disk
Fred Anderson / Steve McCall
Vintage Duets: Chicago 1-11-80
1996, CD, Album, Okka Disk, ,
Free Improvisation
Fire (48) With Von Freeman
Fire With Von Freeman
1996, CD, Album, Southport Records
The Mighty Blue Kings*
Meet Me In Uptown
1996, CD, ,
Swing/Jump Blues
Caffeine
Caffeine
1995, CD, Album, Okka Disk
Francis Wong
Chicago Time Code
1995, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Harold R. Harris
Bluesville Revisited
1995, LP, Interplay Records
Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake
The Dried Rat-Dog
1995
Tatsu Aoki
Kioto
1994, CD, Album, Asian Improv Records
Eldee Young + Ruben De Andrea
I Thought About You ...
1994, CD,
Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble
South Side Street Songs
1993, CD, Album, Silkheart
Eden Atwood
Today!
1992, CD, Album, Southport
Famoudou Don Moye
Jam For Your Life!
1991
Art Ensemble Of Chicago*
The Alternate Express
1989
Axel Zwingenberger, Mama Yancey
Vol.4 - The Blues Of Mama Yancey
1988
Art Ensemble Of Chicago*
Ancient To The Future: Dreaming Of The Masters Series Vol.1
1987
Art Ensemble Of Chicago*
Naked
1986, Vinyl, ,
Free Jazz
Dave Gordon
Green Things
1984, LP, Sparrow Sound Design
Sons Of Blues
Where's My Money?
1984
Foxfire
Love To Play / Hey I'm Blue
1983, 7", YMI Recording Artists
Jean-Claude*
If Music Presents You Need This: A Journey Into Deep Jazz Vol 2
2017