The 20 Best Jazz Albums for Beginners
If you’ve always wanted to get interested in jazz, jump in. Don’t approach it with fear or a sense that you don’t know enough about it. It’s just a smorgasbord of stuff to enjoy.
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Aaron Parks, Matt Brewer, and Eric Harland Conjure Form From Thin Air on ‘Volume One’
Volume One is a casual jazz trio session from Aaron Parks, Matt Brewer, and Eric Harland and offers surprising complexity and modern form.
The 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2020
Here are six of the key jazz trends of the last 20 years, defined by 20 of the best 2020 recordings that made us see, again, why this music is in midst of such a thrilling patch of creativity.
Jazz’s Aaron Parks Explores on ‘Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man’
Jazz pianist Aaron Parks' grooving but exploratory quartet returns for a second recording after being on the road, and it's stunning.
The Best Jazz of 2019
Our jazz critics create four quartets of great creative music, demonstrating four trends that keep "jazz" relevant in a new century.
Emma Frank and Aaron Parks Create a Plainspoken Kind of Magic on ‘Come Back’
Come Back is another heartbreaking and beautiful collection of songs on the heels of Emma Frank's 2018 stunner, Ocean Av, again featuring the lighter-than-air yet potent contributions of pianist Aaron Parks.
The Best Jazz of 2018
The definition of "jazz" has never been broader, and the music has never been brighter. Two PopMatters critics pick their favorites in four modern jazz categories.
Aaron Parks Creates a Wide Jazz Universe on ‘Little Big’
Jazz pianist Aaron Parks' logical follow-up to his 2008 Blue Note debut recording is deep, cool, joyful, and rhythmically advanced.
Matt Penman’s Compositions Are Works of Art on ‘Good Question’
Ingenious compositions by journeyman bassist Matt Penman are shaded and interpreted by a wonderful band, especially pianist Aaron Parks, whose playing is textured and includes Rhodes, organ, and vibraphone work.
Emma Frank’s Jazz Negotiates Dark and Light
Emma Frank's third recording, Ocean Av, is a brilliant collection of literary jazz that defies categories and features pianist Aaron Parks and drummer Jim Black. PopMatters talks with Frank about the challenges of finding a new voice in jazz.
Nir Felder – “Ernest /Protector” (stream) (Premiere)
PopMatters premieres "Ernest / Protector", one of the flashier tracks from jazz guitarist Nir Felder's forthcoming debut album Golden Age.