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 in organizing the Vision Festival in New York since 2002, partnering it with the Sons d'hiver festival in Paris. His extensive discography includes albums such as Testimony (1996), Lifting the Sanctions (1998), and Universal Tonality (2022).
