23-10-2018, 14:00
AARON PARKS - Aaron Parks Little Big
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The amount I know about the whys and wherefores of contemporary jazz could fit on the head of a pin. I know I like some of it but can’t really say exactly why – it’s an elusive business! I think the younger musos like Shai Maestro, Avishai Cohen, Eric Legnini, Hugh Coltman and Giovanni Mirabassi have developed a sound that is more pleasing to my ears and brain than the old school. Maybe it’s slightly more melodic – straight ahead jazz can be a challenge (for me), or maybe it’s because some of it crosses over a bit, or maybe it’s sheer panache! Who can say? Whatever it is, I HAD to listen to this album because of the title, which is also that of one of the strangest, most mystical books I’ve ever read, and because the cover artwork really stood out. I am glad I did!
Not for the faint of heart – all instrumental (electric) and at around 80 minutes in duration, there is no skimping here. Parks is a keys man and some of these pieces have a lovely luminous quality – it’s a line-up of bass, drums and guitar (which gets positively rocky now and then), and the drummer is great – holding it all together – a well-oiled machine. I’d be lying if I said I could remember all the tracks but one or two made a much bigger impact than the others. There is such a fine line between soft and not, I think, and I would say this is not; it’s elegant without being too polished, confident, inventive, has a ring of truth which I suppose one might condense into one word as authenticity, and sounds well produced with a good balance of instruments.
Three tracks that made their mark IMHO are “The Fool”, which I can’t find, “Siren”, which I can, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ-VoyacvAE, and
“Small Planet”
The amount I know about the whys and wherefores of contemporary jazz could fit on the head of a pin. I know I like some of it but can’t really say exactly why – it’s an elusive business! I think the younger musos like Shai Maestro, Avishai Cohen, Eric Legnini, Hugh Coltman and Giovanni Mirabassi have developed a sound that is more pleasing to my ears and brain than the old school. Maybe it’s slightly more melodic – straight ahead jazz can be a challenge (for me), or maybe it’s because some of it crosses over a bit, or maybe it’s sheer panache! Who can say? Whatever it is, I HAD to listen to this album because of the title, which is also that of one of the strangest, most mystical books I’ve ever read, and because the cover artwork really stood out. I am glad I did!
Not for the faint of heart – all instrumental (electric) and at around 80 minutes in duration, there is no skimping here. Parks is a keys man and some of these pieces have a lovely luminous quality – it’s a line-up of bass, drums and guitar (which gets positively rocky now and then), and the drummer is great – holding it all together – a well-oiled machine. I’d be lying if I said I could remember all the tracks but one or two made a much bigger impact than the others. There is such a fine line between soft and not, I think, and I would say this is not; it’s elegant without being too polished, confident, inventive, has a ring of truth which I suppose one might condense into one word as authenticity, and sounds well produced with a good balance of instruments.
Three tracks that made their mark IMHO are “The Fool”, which I can’t find, “Siren”, which I can, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ-VoyacvAE, and
“Small Planet”
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson