‘Aaron Parks & Little Big’

Upwards. That’s the only direction jazz pianist Aaron Parks is going in. So the American is no longer merely Joshua Redman, Christian Scott and Terrence Blanchard’s sideman. In 2018, he baptized his own band Little Big and released an album of the same name on the Ropeadope label. The quartet, with guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David DJ Ginyard, Jr. and drummer Tommy Crane will soon be unleashing a new album on us. Once again, the collective has come up with a personal sound closely related to London’s new jazz that is nonetheless firmly rooted in America. This is jazz that creates a healthy tension between structure and spontaneity, with both singable melodies and very loose, open moments. Jazz for today, played today.