Pianist Aaron Parks has made a name for himself as a respectable sideman hitching his wagon to Kurt Rosenwinkel’s posse for a number of years. He hasn’t released a session under his own name for quite a while, and the fact that this one is a solo disc makes it that much more special. If you’ve seen him in concert, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by how contemplative and reflectively deep this collection of originals is. A piece like “Reverie” is thoughtful and ruminating; you can almost see him thinking out his next move on the ivories. His warm Schubertian tone is in evidence on the warm “Toward Awakening,” and his use of space as a sound is seen in the contemplatively unrushed “Elsewhere” and “Past Present.” His fingers flow with grace and ease, and show excellent dynamics on “In Pursuit” while you can almost see the scurrying humor in “Squirrels.” Parks does not disappoint here, and hopefully he’ll step out on his own for a tour as well.
ECM Records
www.ecmrecords.com