Little Big III

Aaron Parks

Released on 10/18/24 by Blue Note Records
Main artists: Aaron Parks
Genre: Jazz

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The jazz world slightly changed after pianist Aaron Parks released 2008's Invisible Cinema, his Blue Note debut. He'd already issued four albums under his name, and four more with Terence Blanchard. Invisible Cinema embraced modern jazz, but also amply stitched in Parks' love of indie rock and pop. He followed with titles for ECM, then signed with Ropeadope for Little Big (2018) and Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man (2020). He self-released three digital titles with drummer Eric Harland and bassist Matt Brewer, and Little Big's wonderfully rough, raw Live in Berlin last year. Parks is a quietly revolutionary player, composer, and bandleader. Jazz musicians study his tunes and global audiences celebrate him as a master. Little Big III marks his return to Blue Note. Co-produced with label boss Don Was, it reveals Parks' most confident writing while showcasing the canny maturity of the quartet -- Greg Tuohey (guitars), David Ginyard Jr. (bass), and Jongkuk Kim (drums).
The first track, "Flyways," is signature Little Big. The chord voicings are kinetic and motion filled, like traveling the countryside in a car. Tuohey twins lyric lines with the pianist as the rhythm section buoys them. The circular vamp is at once hypnotic and euphoric and comes across in feel like the Pat Metheny Group with pianist/keyboardist Lyle Mays, even as Tuohey's tone recalls Kurt Rosenwinkel's. The rhythm section juxtapose and crisscross South African, Latin and Brazilian rhythms, recalling later Weather Report and the Joe Zawinul Syndicate. Tuohey's guitar solo actually frames Kim's polyrhythmic breakbeat drumming. He also composed the rockist "Willamina" later on. A bluesy, droning guitar introduces the band after a minute-long intro, and they wind around Americana, indie rock, blues, and post-bop. Tuohey's biting, distorted tone sits dead center between Lindsey Buckingham and Mark Knopfler. "Heart Stories" sounds like a Bach prelude for a jazz-rock quartet. "Little Beginnings" is laced with drama. Piano, synth, and guitar carry different aspects of the harmony, while innovative tension between Ginyard and Kim results in a locked-down groove. "Delusions" is almost straight-up rock. The piano and guitar progression touches on blues and jazz, but as the rhythm section pushes the frontline hard, with accents, breaks, double-time beats, and rolling bass interjections, it bridges over to rock & roll dynamics. Set closer "Ashé" is a midtempo ballad that drifts, feints, and shimmers as Parks leads the instrumentalists one at a time as they provide lilting textures that color the margin. Parks' lyricism here reflects Americana, contemporary jazz, and indie pop. Little Big III is evolutionary, yet as the quartet have always been, they're quite direct in their musical approach and accessibility here. That's the trademark that makes them special. This album extends their creative reach by placing focus on creating a blissed-out sonic jazz landscape that edifies even as it uplifts.

© Thom Jurek /TiVo

Little Big III

Aaron Parks

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Flyways