Biography
Acclaimed pianist and composer Aaron Parks returned 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. The 2025 album By All Means expanded his acclaimed trio with bassist Ben Street, and drummer Billy Hart into a quartet with the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon to explore a new color palette.
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 Little Big “Ashé” (Live)
Aaron Parks Little Big “Delusions” (Live)
Aaron Parks Little Big “The Machines Say No” (Live)
Aaron Parks Little Big “Heart Stories” (Live)
Aaron Parks “First Look” with Don Was
SPOTLIGHT
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AARON PARKS “BY ALL MEANS”
By Lauren Du Graf In the spring of 2023, while on tour in Portugal, Aaron Parks had a dream. It concerned an upcoming week of shows at the Village Vanguard, where he was scheduled that July to play alongside the bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart. The trio had been intermittently active since 2012, although the bonds between them ran far deeper than a decade of occasional gigs might... read more
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 SHARES NEW SINGLE “LITTLE RIVER” DEDICATED TO HIS SON
Pianist Aaron Parks has released “Little River,” the newest single from his third Blue Note Records album By All Means, out November 7. By All Means is a luminous new set of original Parks compositions that expands his acclaimed trio into a quartet, exploring a new color palette with bassist Ben Street, drummer... read more
Aaron Parks Shares Gorgeous New Single “For María José”
Pianist Aaron Parks has released “For María José,” the newest single from his third Blue Note album By All Means out November 7. By All Means is a luminous new set of original Parks compositions that expands his acclaimed trio with bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart into a quartet, exploring a new color... read more
AARON PARKS RETURNS WITH LUMINOUS NEW ACOUSTIC QUARTET ALBUM “BY ALL MEANS”
On Nov. 7, pianist Aaron Parks will release his latest musical offering, By All Means, his 3rd Blue Note album which expands his acclaimed trio with bassist Ben Street, and drummer Billy Hart into a quartet with the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon to explore a new color palette. The luminous set of new Parks... read more
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
Dec 05
Aaron Parks
Fuensanta + Aaron Parks, 's-hertogenbosch Netherlands
Dec 13
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks trio @ Club Chocolate, Recoleta Chile
Dec 15
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ BeBop Club , San Telmo Argentina
Dec 16
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ BeBop Club, San Telmo Argentina
Jan 29
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz United States
Jan 30
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ Sam First, Los Angeles United States
Jan 31
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ Sam First, Los Angeles United States
Feb 07
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ Regattabar, Cambridge United States
Feb 11
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks & UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Tampere Finland
Feb 12
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks & UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Helsinki Finland
Mar 06
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Trio @ La Coursive, La Rochelle France
Mar 29
Aaron Parks
NOVA ft. Félix Zurstrassen (LU), Aaron Parks (US) & Jeff Ballard (US), Leuven Belgium
May 12
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Little Big @ Jazz Dock, Prague Czechia
May 15
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks Little Big @ New Morning, Paris France
