William Parker, photo by Andy Newcombe.

Back in 1997, local concert producer Bobby Hill’s Transparent Productions was a fledgling entity. Its first show featured a solo performance by progressive bassist William Parker at the now defunct Kaffa House on U Street. Things come full circle on Sunday as Transparent welcomes Parker back for another show, this time at the historic Bohemian Caverns.

This concert will be quite different from its predecessor, as Parker will be exploring a completely different side of his playing. The 59-year old artist is best known for is work in avant-garde settings. In fact, his record label, AUM Fidelity, specializes in the most cutting edge artists of the free jazz scene. However, for this project, Parker assembled an organ-based quartet in the spirit of classic soul jazz.

“I grew up listening to Jimmy Smith and “Brother” Jack McDuff,” said Parker in a recent interview with DCist. “I knew I could not even get close to that sound. In order for this project to work it had to have its own life.”

While Parker’s project drew upon these late, great musicians as influences, the music’s spirit came from elsewhere. Specifically, these songs were written in tribute to his Aunt Carrie Lee & 93-year old Uncle Joe, both of whom have played an important role in Parker’s life. The couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2010, and in that same year Parker released Uncle Joe’s Spirit House to commemorate the occasion.

“The process was to try to get to the vibration point called Joy,” Parker said of recording the album. “It is a place that is hard to resist.”

The same musicians that played on the session will join Parker on Sunday at the Caverns. The band includes organist Cooper-Moore, Parker’s label mate at AUM Fidelity, tenor saxophonist Darryl Foster and drummer Gerald Cleaver. Parker assembled these musicians specifically because he knew that they were all very familiar with how a traditional organ ensemble should sound. Sunday’s program will feature many of the songs from Uncle Joe’s Spirit House, as well as a new composition written expressly for this show, titled “Criminals in the White House”.

While he has a specific aesthetic in mind, Parker also realizes that he is playing with musicians who are capable of expressing themselves at a very high level, and he sees little difference between this group and the more open music upon which he built his reputation.

“Free music is about being free to play what you want that will fit each moment of the life of that particular performance,” Parker explained. “I didn’t tell the musicians what to play, the music told them what to do.”

Given the level of musicianship and the warmth behind the music itself, the audience on Sunday should expect a memorable show. But just as Parker wrote the music from a spiritual place, he wants the audience to have more than just a simple listening experience.

“I hope we all travel to that secret place where black angels live, that is timeless. An area that is all music,” he said.

The William Parker Organ Quartet will play 7 and 9 p.m. sets on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at Bohemian Caverns. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.