This album is a real grower; it draws you into a place that feels comforting and warm, but also stimulating with creative complexities – an understated joy
Blue Note 783720 2 (CD), 783721 2 (LP)
Aaron Parks (piano); Ben Solomon (tenor saxophone); Ben Street (bass); Billy Hart (drums)
Recorded at Brooklyn Recording, Brooklyn, NY
How do you follow a successful plugged-in project like ‘Little Big’? With something very different perhaps? ‘By All Means’ marks the return of Aaron Parks’s long-standing acoustic trio with Ben Street and Billy Hart, bolstered by the tenor sax of Ben Solomon; a grouping that looks firmly towards the jazz tradition but through Parks’s contemporary lens.
“It’s not about nostalgia or preservation”, he says. “It’s about being alive within that lineage, that continuum. That’s what the title points to – it’s a big yes, a way of saying ‘absolutely, let’s join that party.’” And Parks does not see the album as being so very different from other recent work, commenting: “I don’t conceive of this as being so utterly distinct from past projects… It’s another book of songs that felt like they were calling for their own context, for a certain group of musicians to bring them to life.”
The trio of Parks, Street and Hart has been working together on and off since 2012 and was first recorded on the ECM album, ‘Find The Way’ (2017). The addition of Solomon came ahead of a week-long residency at the Village Vanguard in 2023 as an opportunity to add new dynamics, and for Parks to fully immerse himself within the rhythm section in support of a new focal point. And who would not want to do that with Street and Hart in town? The results were clearly impressive as a recording session was swiftly arranged, and we are so glad that it was.
The session has a relaxed and warm feel, but there is much going on here. Parks’s compositions have memorable melodies that beguile with hidden depths. And Solomon’s fluid tones fit right in, providing new opportunities for group play. Together they flex and flow intuitively and there is great joy in listening out for everyone’s contribution to the overall sound.
Far from slipping into the background, Parks sets the tone and direction on each piece, working with and around Solomon delightfully, and taking important solos throughout, with some gorgeous interplay with Street and Hart, who are at their actively subtle best. Listen out for their quietly compelling dialogue on the ballad ‘Dense Phantasy’; it is just a treat.
The opener, ‘A Way’, brings nuanced blues themes, introduced first by Solomon and then Parks, over Hart’s lightly skittering drums and Street’s deep bass, before ending on a hopeful note. Street sets up a brisk walking pace as an entry to ‘Parks Lope’, before Solomon introduces a chirpy melody; and then things get more involved with first Solomon’s searching solo, then Parks flexing out.
‘For María José’ is a beautiful and complex ballad, written by Parks for his wife. His delicate intro welcomes Solomon’s blown statement, before Parks’s heartfelt solo takes things further leading to a gently swirling dance at the end. ‘Dense Phantasy’ is another complex ballad with Parks building a delightfully wandering solo upon Solomon’s gently stated theme.
‘Anywhere Together’, written by Parks as a teenager, is more up-tempo, but with depths that emerge, first through Solomon’s most open soloing on the album, then through Parks. Listen also for Hart responding creatively to the changes and Street’s own bass solo.
‘Little River’ is a delightful piece that makes you smile. Written for his son, Parks brings a catchy and happy melody, taken on by Solomon, before Parks catches it again with a rippling solo of sparkling keys. The album concludes with the impressionist ‘Raincoat’ with piano motifs suggestive of light rain and intermittent dripping, through which a revolving melody emerges.
This album is a real grower; it draws you into a place that feels comforting and warm but also stimulating with creative complexities – an understated joy.
