Aaron Parks
Released 2008
The Guardian Highest Rated Jazz Albums of All Time
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qnaXEUCj9qk&list=OLAK5uy_lNjB96srLkce2B6_KF_ijTWzrATJs-LVE
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3xfueIrMUw57owAiYVKt8S?si=HgwbPq7MRCG_S9eFSlD9Tg
About:
‘Invisible Cinema’ (2008), released on the legendary Blue Note label, is the debut album of American jazz pianist and composer Aaron Parks. Parks, already famous in Jazz circles for his early work with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, debuts here as leading his own quartet, featuring Eric Harland on drums, Matt Penman on bass, and Mike Moreno on guitar. The group is an intricate molding of interlocking histories, and that familiarity, along with their considerable chops, gives ‘Invisible Cinema’ a tight, soulful sound that brings their music to life. Though young, Parks proves himself a composer of depth, and a visionary for his group, exemplified by the wide variety of tracks, which draw comparisons across genres, moods and musical styles. The image-rich soundscape of ‘Invisible Parks’ features Parks not only on piano, but on mellotron, glockenspiel and synthesizers, underscored by a driving rhythm section in Harland and Penman. Fans of classic jazz will love the old school, tight knit playing on ‘Invisible Cinema’, and the youthful, dynamic energy of Park’s composition is a sure bet for those just starting in the genre.
Interview: Aaron Parks: Projecting the “Invisible Cinema”
In the constant race to find the next cure for jazz (hint: it ain’t broken), pianist Aaron Parks seems perfectly content to set his own pace. Parks, a 24-year-old Seattle native, discovered music intuitively.
“I started trying to mimic the sounds of the Pacific Northwest thunderstorms,” Parks says. “I was trying to create the sound of rain, of thunder, of wind — all sorts of different elements. I was just trying to create sound effects, basically, even though I didn’t know what I was doing on the instrument.”
Lessons followed, with Parks learning songs by ear. His early infatuation with Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” and subsequent performance of the song earned Parks a chance to advance. He took it.
By 19, Parks was touring with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Blanchard’s working band provided laboratory space for the young artist.
“He let everybody play the way they wanted to play,” Parks says. “He didn’t dictate too much to them. That sort of free rein to try things out and fall on your face is invaluable. I finished college at 18, but the real school started right after that in his band — the school of the road.”
Parks visited the WBGO studio with the same quartet that appears on Invisible Cinema, his major-label debut. The group played three songs. “Peaceful Warrior” opens the session. “It was originally called ‘Peaceful Warrior,'” Parks says, “and then I changed the title five times.” He settled with “Illumination” at the studio, but he met resistance from the band. “They all had images in their mind of samurai rushing down a hill. They were so attached to that song title that they convinced me that I needed to keep it.” These are peaceful warriors, yes? “Maybe the samurai are rushing down a hill to give hugs,” Parks says.
“Nemesis” is the shocker. Parks wrote the song as a member of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel’s band with him in mind. “Whenever he plays that song, he digs into the melody like a dog that just got a big, juicy piece of meat, and he’s growling and shaking his head back and forth,” Parks says. “That’s maybe a really disturbing image. That’s a nasty little song.” The piano introduction is virtually a standalone piece of music. Be sure to listen for the cell phone interfering with the guitar amp at the end, and add that image to a piece of music that begs for visuals.
Our studio session ends with “Harvesting Song,” a sweeping drama with a rock anthem built on “Fratres I,” from Estonian composer Arvo Part.
I would say that this is jazz that rocks, but it’s neither of those things. They’re just stories waiting for yours.
Josh Jackson (npr.com)
Originally recorded June 19, 2008.
Track Listing:
1. Travelers (Aaron Parks) 5:34
2. Peaceful Warrior (Aaron Parks) 9:39
3. Nemesis (Aaron Parks) 6:14
4. Riddle Me This (Aaron Parks) 2:43
5. Into the Labyrinth (Aaron Parks) 2:53
6. Karma (Aaron Parks) 8:06
7. Roadside Distraction (Aaron Parks) 2:44
8. Harvesting Dance (Aaron Parks) 9:35
9. Praise (Aaron Parks) 4:43
10. Afterglow (Aaron Parks) 2:45
Personnel:
Aaron Parks: piano, mellotron (3), glockenspiel (3), keyboards (3, 5, 6, 8)
Mike Moreno: guitar (2-4, 6-9)
Matt Penman: bass (1-4, 6-9)
Eric Harland: drums (1-4, 6-9)
Recorded January
20-22, 2008 at Brooklyn Recording.
Additional recording on March 1, 2008 at ObliqSound Studio
Produced by Aaron Parks and Michele Locatelli
Review:
Aaron Parks is a prodigy. He went to university at 14 (doubling in music and computer science), has toured with postbop stars Terence Blanchard and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and recorded with hip newcomers such as Will Vinson and Kendrick Scott (Herbie Hancock’s drummer). Now he’s 25, and this is his big opening proclamation. As you might anticipate, there are links to some of the sharpest piano-band practitioners on the contemporary scene, notably the ensemble and percussion sound of the Bad Plus and Robert Glasper. The group are a state-of-the-art ensemble featuring guitarist Mike Moreno on most of the tracks, and the superlative drummer Eric Harland on all of them. As for the music, it spans fast postbop lines over clattery drum patterns (Travelers), steady drum unison piano/guitar melodic bursts over nu-funk grooves (Karma), dreamy guitar lines over repeating one-note trances (Nemesis), Mehldau-like slow buildups (Riddle Me This), country-funk (Roadside Distraction) and a lot more. But it’s not a mere sampling of the contemporary piano scene, it’s a real independent vision – Parks is a fast-rising star.
John Fordham (The Guardian)
