Aaron Parks: "Catalytic Power"

A blurb in The New York Times describes Aaron Parks as "a pianist of imposing fluency and catalytic power." The pianist's blend of "gossamer postbop flavored with rock and electronica" (Time Out New York) has made him one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation.Aaron’s conception is documented on Invisible Cinema, his 2008 debut album, released on the legendary Blue Note imprint. He also co-leads the acoustic quartet James Farm, along with the tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, the bassist Matt Penman and the drummer Eric Harland (Matt and Eric also form the rhythm section on Invisible Cinema). James Farm released their eponymous debut on Nonesuch earlier this year. The pianist has toured and/or recorded with the likes of Terrence Blanchard (who began employing Aaron at the tender age of 18), Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ambrose Akinmusire, CANT (Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear), Gretchen Parlato, and many others.Aaron is a veteran of The Jazz Gallery, having led bands on our stage upwards of twenty times. We also commissioned Aaron as a part of The Jazz Gallery Composers’ Series in 2007. Aaron chose to title his collection of works “Archetypes: Character Studies in Sound”, noting that, “There is a curious parallel between an archetype and a jazz composition: both have a certain skeletal structure that remains constant, but is fleshed out differently in each instance.” This Wednesday, Aaron returns to our stage with his trio. He'll be joined by "assertive partners" (The New York Times): the bassist Thomas Morgan and the drummer RJ Miller, for an evening of music not to be missed.Listen to Aaron's trio (featuring the bassist Matt Brewer and the drummer Tommy Crane) performing "Travellers" live at JazzFest Berlin in 2009.