National Sawdust, renowned for championing groundbreaking musical voices, is proud to partner with Sugar Sugar! as part of its inaugural outdoor performance season at Domino Park.
On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, National Sawdust will present: “Back to Nature” featuring Isaiah Barr, David Frazier Jr. and William Parker plus Special Guests. The event will showcase vibrant members of the contemporary New York music scene whose collaboration embodies the spirit of innovation that National Sawdust champions.
This collaboration between National Sawdust and Sugar Sugar! offers a unique opportunity to experience the cutting edge of New York's musical landscape in a distinctive outdoor setting, aligning with National Sawdust's ongoing mission to support and present groundbreaking artists.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
ISAIAH BARR Artist, Multi Instrumentalist, Composer, & Producer, Isaiah Barr was born and raised in New York City.
He Co-founded the multi disciplinary group, Onyx Collective in 2013. Since then , the ensemble has performed in Europe , Asia , Australia and North America. Over the course of 10 years Onyx Collective has recorded and released 8 full length albums , some only existing on physical releases of Vinyl , CD, or Cassette. Onyx Collective has developed a multimedia approach which has led to performances at prestigious art galleries and museums (Museum Of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, Guggenheim Museum, MoMa PS1, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, and many more).
Over the years Isaiah has performed and collaborated with Roy Nathanson, Nick Hakim, William Parker, Dev Hynes, Kelsey Lu, Eartheater, Ratking, David Byrne, & many more artists.
Currently he has formed multiple new ensembles in New York: Madronas, Cafe Dewanee, Universal Space Jam; 3dOM in Copenhagen with Oliver Laumann & Dungeon Acid, and multiple connections with musicians on the scene in CDMX.
He has also collaborated with Kelsey Lu on the Original Soundtracks to award winning films “Earth Mama” & “Daughters”.
WILLIAM PARKER is a bassist, improviser, composer, writer, and educator from New York City. He has recorded over 150 albums, published six books, and taught and mentored hundreds of young musicians and artists.
The Village Voice called him, “the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time” and Time Out New York named him one of the “50 Greatest New York Musicians of All Time.”
Parker’s current active bands include the large-band Little Huey Creative Orchestra, the Raining on the Moon Sextet, the In Order to Survive Quartet, Stan’s Hat Flapping in the Wind, the Cosmic Mountain Quintet with Hamid Drake, Kidd Jordan, and Cooper-Moore, as well as a deep and ongoing solo bass study.
Over the decades, Parker has developed a reputation as a connector and hub of information concerning the history of creative music, recently culminating in two hefty volumes of interviews with over 60 avant-garde and creative musicians, Conversations I & II. He is also the subject of an exhaustive 468-page “sessionography” that documents thousands of performances and recording sessions, a remarkable chronicle of his prolificness as an active artist.
He has been a key figure in the New York and European creative music scenes since the 1970s, and has worked all over the world. He has performed with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Peter Brotzmann, Milford Graves, Peter Kowald, and David S. Ware, among many others.
William Parker works all over the world but he always returns to New York’s Lower East Side, where he has lived since 1975.
DAVID FRAZIER JR. New York drummer David Frazier Jr. has cultivated a diverse and notable career, contributing his rhythmic foundation to a wide array of musical projects. His collaborations span genres and include work with artists such as BrassTracks, Billy Porter, Takuya Kuroda, Moses Sumney, Garth Official, K.A.T.L.T, Peoples Champs, Mae.Sun, B.W.S, MyTree, Axel Tosca Trio, Speak Freely Trio, SZA, and Gabriel Garzon-Montano. His recent collection of jazz breaks, recorded at Reservoir Studios on a vintage Ludwig kit with meticulous attention to sonic detail, further highlights his versatility and provides a valuable resource for producers seeking authentic and adaptable rhythms.
NATIONAL SAWDUST commissions, produces, and presents cultural programming rooted in sound, supporting artists in various disciplines who are passionate about experimentation and innovation.
Founded in 2015 by composer Paola Prestini, National Sawdust operates out of an intimate space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, equipped with a state-of-the-art Meyer spatial sound system. Its wide range of artistic programming includes commissions, workshops, residencies, public performances, recordings, mentorship, and professional development. It aims to be not only a home for its community of artists, but also a place for audiences to discover wide-ranging performances.
CREDITS:
Isaiah Barr: Saxophones, Flutes, Reed Instruments, Electronics David Frazier Jr.: Drums, Electronics
William Parker: Reed Instruments, Flutes, Gimbre, Kora African Harp
Presented by National Sawdust
