Biography
Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks returns to Blue Note Records—where he released his influential label debut Invisible Cinema in 2008—with the 2024 release of Little Big III, the third studio album from his band Little Big featuring guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr., and drummer Jongkuk Kim.
Parks made his first Blue Note appearances as a member of Terence Blanchard’s band, an outfit akin to The Jazz Messengers in its cultivation of future jazz greats. After appearing on the trumpeter’s albums Bounce, Flow, and A Tale of God’s Will throughout the early 2000s, Parks made his own Blue Note debut in 2008 with Invisible Cinema, a striking album that has only grown in its influence across the modern jazz landscape since its release. The music travelled across new sonic and rhythmic frontiers with Parks’ evocative original compositions imbued with a cinematic drama that drew inspiration from the likes of Wayne Shorter, Radiohead, Bjork, Meshell Ndegeocello, and more. The album featured the pianist with Mike Moreno on guitar, Matt Penman on bass, and Eric Harland on drums, a band whose unique sound would eventually evolve into Parks’ ongoing project Little Big.
Parks has since released two studio albums with Little Big, as well as two albums on ECM including a solo piano recording a trio album with Billy Hart and Ben Street. Parks has performed and recorded with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kendrick Scott, Gretchen Parlato, Dhafer Youssef, and Marcus Miller among others. He is also a founding member of the collective James Farm with Joshua Redman, Penman, and Harland, and appeared on Redman’s 2023 Blue Note debut where are we. In 2022, he released a pair of collaborative trio albums with Harland and Matt Brewer.
Releases
Videos
Aaron Parks “First Look” with Don Was
SPOTLIGHT
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AARON PARKS “LITTLE BIG III”
By Evan Haga Little Big III is the second album that pianist Aaron Parks has released on Blue Note as a bandleader, following 2008’s Invisible Cinema, a powerfully modern, post-genre concept for improvised music in the 21st century. Which makes it a homecoming of sorts. And like any important homecoming, it gathers its meaning by placing the profound changes that life brings against a... read more
News
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AARON PARKS RELEASES NEW SINGLE “ASHÉ” FROM “LITTLE BIG III”
Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks has released “Ashé,” the newest single from his forthcoming album Little Big III. Parks’ third studio album with his band Little Big featuring guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr., and drummer Jongkuk Kim will be released October 18. “Ashé” is an older... read more
AARON PARKS SHARES NEW SINGLE “SPORTS” FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM “LITTLE BIG III”
Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks has released “Sports,” the newest single from his forthcoming album Little Big III. Parks’ third studio album with his band Little Big featuring guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr., and drummer Jongkuk Kim will be released October 18. Written by Tuohey, and... read more
AARON PARKS RETURNS TO BLUE NOTE WITH “LITTLE BIG III” OUT OCT. 18
Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks returns to Blue Note Records with the October 18 release of Little Big III, the third studio album from his band Little Big featuring guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr., and drummer Jongkuk Kim. The heady lead single “Delusions” is released today and the... read more
CLASSIC VINYL REISSUE SERIES 2024 TITLES ANNOUNCED
Blue Note Records has announced the next run of titles in the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series, which presents affordable 180g all-analog vinyl reissues in standard packaging that are mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and manufactured at Optimal. Curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman, the series... read more
Live Dates
Feb 07
Aaron Parks
Regattabar, Cambridge United States
Feb 11
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Little Big @ Joe's Pub, New York United States
Jun 17
Aaron Parks
Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Netherlands
