Aaron Parks (born October 7, 1983) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist.

Career

A native of Seattle, Parks studied at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

at the age of 14 through the

Transition School and Early Entrance Program The Transition School and Early Entrance Program (TS and EEP) are two subsequent programs comprising the original early entrance track at the University of Washington's Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars. The one-year Transition ...

as a double major in computer science and music. At 15, he was selected to participate in the Grammy High School Jazz Ensembles which inspired him to move to New York City and transfer to the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

. At Manhattan one of his teachers was

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

. During his final year, he began touring with

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...

's band, recording three albums with them for

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, including the Grammy-winning A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Parks can be heard on the soundtracks: ''

Their Eyes Were Watching God ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' is a 1937 novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. It is considered a classic of the Harlem Renaissance and Hurston's best-known work. The novel explores protagonist Janie Crawford's "ripening from a vibran ...

'' and the

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

and films: ''

Inside Man ''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist-turned-hostage situation on Wall Street. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Fr ...

'', ''

She Hate Me ''She Hate Me'' is a 2004 American independent comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Bai Ling, and John Turturro. The f ...

'', and ''

When the Levees Broke ''When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana following the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. It was filmed in late August an ...

''. Parks released his first four albums on Keynote Records between 1999 and 2002. In 2008, he released '' Invisible Cinema'', his debut for

. Following this, he released two albums for

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

, and is currently an artist on

Ropeadope Records Ropeadope Records is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, hip hop, gospel and electronic music. The label, now led by Louis Marks, was founded in 1999 by Andy HurwitzAndy Hurwitz"Ropeadope carves id ...

. He is a member of the band James Farm with saxophonist

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...

, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer

Eric Harland Eric Harland (born November 8, 1976, in Houston, Texas) is an American jazz drummer. In addition to leading his own group, Harland is a member of Charles Lloyd's Quartet, Dave Holland's Prism, James Farm with Joshua Redman, and Taylor Eigsti ...

. He has toured with guitarist

Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel (born October 28, 1970) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader, producer, educator, keyboardist and record label owner. Biography Born in Philadelphia to a musical family, Rosenwinkel began taking piano lessons when ...

Awards and honors

* 2001: Cole Porter Fellow of the

American Piano Awards American Piano Awards is a non-profit performing arts organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization's goal is to "discover, promote, and advance" the careers of young American pianists. The organization hosts a biennial competition ...

* 2006: Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition (third place) * Jas Hennessy Piano Solo Competition at Montreux (third place) * 2016: ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine: “25 for the Future”

Discography

As leader

Main sources:

As member

James Farm
With

, Matt Penman and

* ''James Farm'' ( Nonesuch, 2011) * ''City Folk'' (Nonesuch, 2014)

As sideman

With

* '' Bounce'' (Blue Note, 2003) * ''

Flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...

'' (Blue Note, 2005) – recorded in 2004 * '' A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)'' (Blue Note, 2007) With

Mike Moreno Mike Moreno (born October 8, 1978) is a jazz guitarist and composer from Houston, Texas. According to an NPR interview in 2008,Jackson, Josh, (Feb. 5, 2008).Mike Moreno: Jazz Guitar 'Between the Lines'. NPR. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2013. Moreno's m ...

* ''Between the Lines'' (World Culture Music, 2007) – recorded in 2006 * ''First in Mind'' (Criss Cross, 2011) * ''Another Way'' (World Culture Music, 2012) * ''Lotus'' (World Culture Music, 2015) With

Christian Scott Christian Scott may refer to: * Christian Scott (baseball) (born 1999), American baseball player * Christian Scott (musician) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah () (born March 31, 1983, formerly Christian Scott) is an American jazz trumpeter, multi-instr ...

* ''

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the ...

, 2007) * '' Live at Newport'' (Concord Jazz, 2008) – live With

Dayna Stephens Dayna Stephens (born August 1, 1978) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. In addition to leading his own group, Stephens has performed extensively with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Eric Harland, and G ...

* ''Today Is Tomorrow'' (Criss Cross, 2012) * ''Reminiscent'' (Criss Cross, 2015) * ''Right Now!'' (Contagious Music, 2020) With others *

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Olusiji Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the atten ...

, ''Prelude'' (Fresh Sound, 2008) * Monika Borzym, ''Girl Talk'' (Sony, 2011) * Francesco Cafiso, ''Angelica'' (CAM Jazz, 2009) *

Cant CANT may refer to: *CANT, a solo project from Grizzly Bear bass guitarist and producer, Chris Taylor. *Cantieri Aeronautici e Navali Triestini CANT (''Cantieri Aeronautici e Navali Triestini'', the Trieste Shipbuilding and Naval Aeronautics; also ...

, ''Dreams Come True'' (Terrible, 2011) *

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets (band), ...

, ''Waiting Game'' (Motema, 2019) * Anders Christensen Trio, ''Dear Someone'' (Stunt, 2009) * Nir Felder, ''Golden Age'' (Okeh, 2014) *

Gilad Hekselman Gilad Hekselman (; born February 3, 1983) is an Israeli-born jazz guitarist. He has performed with Anat Cohen, Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, Aaron Parks, Jeff Ballard, John Scofield, Ari Hoenig, Chris Potter and Joey Alexander. Biography He ...

, ''Ask for Chaos'' (Motema, 2018) *

Derrick Hodge Derrick Hodge (born July 5, 1979) is an American composer, musical director, bandleader, producer bassist and advocate. To date he has been awarded two Grammys, named a Sundance Composer Fellow, received a Motif Award; one of world's highest h ...

, ''Live Today'' (Blue Note, 2013) *

Lage Lund Lage Fosheim Lund (born 12 December 1977) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist who lives in New York. Early life and education Initially aspiring to become a professional skateboarder, Lund began playing guitar at the age of 13. He later founded a ja ...

, ''Foolhardy'' (Criss Cross, 2013) * Chris Morrissey, ''North Hero'' (Sunnyside, 2013) * Ferenc Nemeth, ''Night Songs'' (Dreamers Collective 2007) – recorded in 2005 *

Gretchen Parlato Gretchen Parlato (born February 11, 1976) is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke. Pa ...

, ''In a Dream'' (ObliqSound, 2009) – recorded in 2008 *

, ''Star of Jupiter'' (Wommusic 2012) CD* Yeahwon Shin, ''Lua Ya'' (ECM, 2013) – recorded in 2012 * Walter Smith III, ''Casually Introducing'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) *

Ben Wendel Ben Wendel (born February 20, 1976) is a Canadian jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, ...

, ''The Seasons'' (Motema, 2018) *

Dhafer Youssef Dhafer Youssef (; born 19 November 1967) is a Tunisian composer, singer and oud player. Biography Dhafer Youssef was born in Téboulba (a small village of coastal Tunisia); his grandfather was a muezzin. He calls the radio "the most important s ...

, ''Diwan of Beauty and Odd'' (Okeh, 2016) *

, '' Where Are We'' (Blue Note, 2023)

References

External links

Official site

Aaron Parks at NPR Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Aaron 1983 births American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Living people Musicians from Seattle 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians