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Aaron Parks
Pianist Aaron Parks is a forward-thinking jazz musician who came to the public's attention during his time with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Born in Seattle, Washington, Parks began playing piano at a young age and by the time he was 14 had enrolled in an early entrance degree program at the University of Washington.
Originally, Parks pursued both science and music degrees; however, his prodigious talent won out and by age 16 he had transferred to the Manhattan School of Music. While there, he studied with noted pianist Kenny Barron and received several competitive accolades, including being named the 2001 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association.
At age 18 he joined Blanchard's ensemble and subsequently recorded four albums with the veteran trumpeter, including 2003's Bounce, 2005's Flow, the soundtrack to the 2006 Spike Lee film Inside Man, and Blanchard's 2007 Grammy-winning opus A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Besides playing with Blanchard, Parks has performed with a variety of artists including trumpeter Christian Scott, drummer Kendrick Scott, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, and others. Parks has released several albums under his own name, including his 2008 Blue Note debut, Invisible Cinema.
Parks, who has also recorded with Christian Scott, Kendrick Scott, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, was an integral part of the James Farm Quartet with Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland. Nonesuch released their self-titled album in 2011. The pianist subsequently signed to ECM and released the solo piano offering Arborescence in the fall of 2013. He also made sideman appearances on Will Vinson's Live at Smalls and Yeahwon Shin's Lua Ya, and Live in Japan with his own trio of Thomas Morgan and RJ Miller.
It was recorded on the pianist's phone during a show and released for free on his Bandcamp page. Find the Way, his sophomore label date for ECM, was issued in late spring of 2017. It featured bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart in the rhythm section and was inspired in part (according to Parks) by the music of Alice Coltrane and Shirley Horn (for whom Hart played); both of whom prioritized space and subtlety in composition and improvisation.
Source: Matt Collar, AllMusicTags
Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel concert at Bielsko Cultural Centre in Bielsko-Biała on March 19, 2026 featuring Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Street and Cornelia Nilsson.Other photo reports from the same festival: Francesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Steve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming soon... ...
Continue ReadingNils Wülker: Zuversicht
by Neil Duggan
Zuversicht is album number 15 from German trumpeter Nils Wülker. The album title probably needs explanation, though that proves difficult as the word combines numerous ideas that lack a direct English equivalent, making a clean translation impossible. The concept is close to experiencing hope so strongly that we trust in the future, despite all doubts. Notably, this is Wülker's first acoustic jazz quartet since he released his debut, High Spirits (Sony Classical, 2002). In the intervening years, his ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks, Artur Dutkiewicz Trio, Julius Gawlik & More
by Marek J. Śmietański
The final regular episode of the show this year (the 120th) is dedicated to November's new releases. Fewer albums dropped than usual, but that doesn't mean they were any less fascinating. Quite the opposite, in fact: I've unearthed a handful of true gems once again, including three promising debut albums that feel like discovering hidden treasure in your own backyard. Since this is the only November edition, I'm skipping the usual split between Europe and the rest of the world ...
Continue ReadingTom Ollendorff: Where In The World
by Neil Duggan
Since 2021, guitarist Tom Ollendorff has been evolving his sound over two promising albums. Where In The World marks a flowering of his talent, showing sophisticated playing and refined composing. Some of the impetus for this progression stems from his first collaboration with pianist Aaron Parks, whose style forms a natural synergy with Ollendorff's and proves the ideal vehicle for these pieces. Joining them are Ollendorff's long-standing musical partners: bassist Conor Chaplin and drummer James Maddren. The association ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks Little Big in Hong Kong
by Rob Garratt
Aaron Parks Little Big Jazz in the Neighbourhood Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Hong Kong September 22, 2025 A charged, expectant energy filled the room in the moments before Aaron Parks took to the stage. A few hours before the American pianist's debut Hong Kong appearance as leader, it was announced that all schools would be closed for the next two days; barely 12 hours after he left the stage most workplaces and ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks Little Big at Jazzonalia
by Marek J. Śmietański
A collection of photos from the Aaron Parks Little Big concert at CKiS Oskard in Konin on May 17, 2025 featuring Aaron Parks, Greg Tuohey, Simon Jermyn and Jongkuk Kim. ...
Continue ReadingConversations with Aaron Parks and Marta Sanchez
by Leo Sidran
To close out the season, here are two compelling and complementary conversations with pianists Aaron Parks and Marta Sanchez. Each of their stories is deeply personal, and yet their experiences echo one another beautifully.I interviewed Aaron Parks last January at Winter Jazzfest in New York City, just a few days before he made the life-changing decision to leave the United States and move to Portugal. At the time, he was quietly working on a new project, Little Big ...
Continue ReadingRecent And Upcoming ECM Releases: April - June 2017
Source:
Universal Music Enterprises
Look for these recent or upcoming releases on ECM Records. Aaron Parks Find the Way Aaron Parks: piano, Ben Street: double bass, Billy Hart: drums. For the second ECM album by Aaron Parks—following the solo release Aborescence, which JazzTimes praised as “expansive, impressionistic… like a vision quest”—the prize-winning pianist has convened a cross-generational trio featuring bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart. The rhythm pair, which also teams in Hart’s hit quartet for ECM, blends fluidity and strength—what ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Aaron Parks
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Aaron Parks' birthday today! “Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make, and the words I picked were ‘spontaneous’ and ‘cinematic,’” says Aaron Parks. Having clarified the essence of his art, the pianist kept those two words closely in mind while conceiving and recording Invisible Cinema, his extraordinary debut for the Blue Note label. In its virtuosity and harmonic complexity... Read more. Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Aaron Parks
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Aaron Parks' birthday today!
“Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make, and the words I picked were ‘spontaneous’ and ‘cinematic,’” says Aaron Parks. Having clarified the essence of his art, the pianist kept those two words closely in mind while conceiving and recording Invisible Cinema, his extraordinary debut for the Blue Note label. In its virtuosity and harmonic complexity... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Aaron Parks
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Aaron Parks' birthday today!
“Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make, and the words I picked were ‘spontaneous’ and ‘cinematic,’” says Aaron Parks. Having clarified the essence of his art, the pianist kept those two words closely in mind while conceiving and recording Invisible Cinema, his extraordinary debut for the Blue Note label. In its virtuosity and harmonic complexity... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Aaron Parks
Source:
All About Jazz is celebrating Aaron Parks' birthday today!
“Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make, and the words I picked were ‘spontaneous’ and ‘cinematic,’” says Aaron Parks. Having clarified the essence of his art, the pianist kept those two words closely in mind while conceiving and recording Invisible Cinema, his extraordinary debut for the Blue Note label. In its virtuosity and harmonic complexity..."Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe ...
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Aaron Parks: To the Big Screen, and Back to the Jazz Scene
Source:
All About Jazz
"Aaron Parks: Seattle's Boy Genius" is not the story anymore. The local jazz piano prodigy, who went to the University of Washington straight out of junior high, is now 25, living in New York City for the past eight years. He's moved into movies, assisting his mentor Terence Blanchard on soundtracks for Spike Lee's Katrina documentary “When the Levees Broke" (among other Lee titles) as well as the filmic adaptation of “Their Eyes Were Watching God"; and Parks has a ...
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Aaron Parks' Blue Note Debut "Invisible Cinema" Released, Full Album Stream at AOL
Source:
On Target Media Group
Rapidly rising Jazz pianist Aaron Parks' Blue Note Records debut Invisible Cinema hits stores this week; the whole album is available to stream now at AOL. Invisible Cinema is a stunning concept record conceived entirely by the 24-year- old, and with his technically involved, melodic and sensitive playing, Parks is setting a new standard for Jazz piano expression. Available now, Invisible Cinema is an acoustic jazz record that evokes sonic and rhythmic frontiers through the use ...
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Pianist Aaron Parks Interviewed at AAJ...And More!
Source:
All About Jazz
Pianist and composer Aaron Parks is 24 years old--and he started college 11 years ago. A child prodigy who entered the University of Washington at age 13 as a triple major in math, computer science and music, Parks quickly found that music was his true calling. Now, after a five-year stint with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Parks is set to release his Blue Note debut, Invisible Cinema. The album, which hits stores on August 19, 2008, is a tour de force ...
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The Jazz Session #38: Aaron Parks
Source:
All About Jazz
Jason Crane interviews pianist and composer Aaron Parks. Parks is 24 years oldand he started college 11 years ago. A child prodigy who entered the University of Washington at age 13 as a triple major in math, computer science and music, Parks quickly found that music was his true calling. Now, after a five-year stint with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Parks has released his Blue Note debut, Invisible Cinema. The album is a tour de force of composition, imagination and performance. ...
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NYC Jazz Pianist Aaron Parks Gears up for Blue Note Debut on August 19th
Source:
On Target Media Group
Set for release next week (8.19) Invisible Cinema marks the Blue Note Records debut of up-and-coming pianist/composer Aaron Parks. The album is 10 tracks of classic piano Jazz that also touches on some rock, hip-hop and groove influences, creating a pioneering yet authentic Jazz sound. Parks came to the attention of Blue Note following a five-year tenure with Terence Blanchard, appearing on three of his acclaimed Blue Note albums (Bounce, Flow and A Tale of God's ...
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Aaron Parks
Location: New York City
Instrument: Piano
Born: October 7, 1983
Publicist: Fully Altered Media
