RIP To Chicago's Walt Parazaider: His Best Flute Solos
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Walt Parazaider during a performance at the Dodge Theatre in
Phoenix, AZ Photo used by permission of Ken Young &
Wikipedia
In the early 70s Chicago meant almost as much to me as The Beatles did and I'll love their early studio albums forever. No one was more disappointed than
me when the band's music took too much of a turn toward hornless power ballads. Even so,
the sad news of Walter Parazaider's passing at age 81 on June 17th hit me harder than
many other deaths of more famous and celebrated musicians. He had been suffering
from heart disease and Alzheimer's for close to a decade.
Parazaider earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Depaul University in
classical clarinet but after being influenced by The Beatles' "Got
to Get You into My Life" he helped organize the band that eventually became
Chicago with his friends - guitarist Terry Kath and drummer Danny Seraphine -
to play an entirely different kind of
long hair music. He was the large band's original and longtime woodwind player from 1967 until his retirement in 2017.
It is worth noting that Walt's marriage to JacLynn Parazaider lasted almost 60 years. He married her in 1966, even before Chicago began. It's a great accomplishment for anyone, but in the world in which he lived it's truly an astounding feat.
Whenever you heard a saxophone, flute or clarinet on a Chicago record it was
Parazaider. He mostly played sax as part of the group's famed horn section,
but there were times when he was also a featured soloist. I've already covered
a few of his great moments in the past - listen to his wonderful, rocking,
atonal, sax solo that closes out "Now That You've Gone" and his flute work on "Fancy Colours" as proof.
It's my opinion that many of Parazaider's best solos featured him playing flute. So, to
commemorate his passing let's listen to a handful of tracks he played on that very pleasant wind instrument.
"Colour My World" from Chicago II (1970)
"Colour My World" was written by James Pankow as part of his suite,
"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," that takes up the bulk of side two
on Chicago II. The song was released as a single twice, first as
the b-side of "Make Me Smile." A year later it reached #7 after being
re-released as the flip side of "Beginnings."
Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson grabbed more headlines, but his
flute work can't be compared favorably to Parzaider's tone on this low-key
ballad sung by Kath. Anderson's breathy playing is no match for
Parazaider's smoothness. It sounds like he doesn't come up for air
even once.
My wife chose "Colour My World" as our first dance at our wedding
reception.
"Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home" from Chicago III (1971) This deep, jazz track closes out Robert Lamm's "Travel
Suite" from Chicago's third double LP release in three years. Its
wordless vocals are meant to convey how happy the composer is at
returning home after a very long, tiresome tour. Parazaider may have
been schooled in classical music and joined a rock band, but this solo
proved he had some very nice jazz chops.
"Aire" from Chicago VII (1974)
Another modern, instrumental, jazz track that's also one of
Parazaider's rare co-writes. Here he partnered with
trombonist/arranger Pankow and Seraphine to prove
just how creative the band could be. By this time Chicago wasn't
getting much airplay on alternative, FM rock radio anymore, but our local station
jumped on this track for a good reason. It proved how creative both Parazaider and the group could be. They
never sounded this good again after VII, their last double
record set.
"Hot Streets" from Hot Streets (1978)
This is Chicago's first LP without James Guercio and Kath. It shows a definite turn toward the mainstream. It's a good
album, but except for this Lamm original it's pure pop-rock.
Their most eclectic composer and the one who provided them with almost
all of their early hits came up with another jazz-rock gem that is
definitely the disc's highlight. Parazaider's flute shines again.
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