Aaron Parks is one of the most exciting representatives of the young American jazz scene. He has had a new quartet since 2018: Aaron Parks Little Big. For his band project, the celebrated pianist, keyboardist and composer enlists the support of electric guitar, electric bass and drums. And the results on the two albums to date are complex interwoven soundscapes, wonderfully melodic compositions and improvisations, flanked by the skillful use of indie rock, electronica and hip-hop elements.
The group around Parks with guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr. and drummer Jongkuk Kim has now released its third album and its first on Blue Note Records. Even more than their previous albums, the focus here is on a collective band identity and communication in the moment. The album features compositions by Parks, of course, but also by Tuohey and Ginyard.
The four musicians worked on their material during an intensive week of rehearsals and performances at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn. Only then did they go to the legendary Dreamland Recording Studio for the recordings.
The band now seems to have reached a point where it feels truly beyond genre, seamlessly incorporating influences from non-jazz sources with borrowings from pop and rock aesthetics in an integrated and distilled way. It's riskier and livelier than ever before, and therefore in some ways it's more jazz than before.
Greg Tuohey - guitar
Aaron Parks - piano and keyboard
David Ginyard, Jr. - bass
Jongkuk Kim - drums
Price information:
Advance booking: 25 € / reduced 20 €