Sometimes good things happen to those who review music! A case in point is Aaron Parks’ Little Big III albumfor which fans of prog and jazz rock should gather and rejoice. Aaron Parks (piano, keyboards) leads the Little Big quartet, featuring Greg Tuohey (guitars), David Ginyard Jr. (bass), and Jongkuk Kim (drums). This album is reminiscent of GoGo Penguin, Nik Bärtsch and early Stanley Clark creations with a tinge of Weather Report. There are themes that include Mediterranean (Greek and Arabic music), classical piano, and even a wee bit of country. The album is a gentle and melodious and in places listeners might almost expect to hear the voice of Bonnie Raitt belting out a new jazz rock version of John Prine’s Angel from Montgomery.
On a track or two you’d be forgiven for thinking that you are listening to lost tapes of the Grateful Dead (Willamina), while Heart Stores starts with a theme that might as well been lifted from one of Bach preludes. And Ashé will invite a comparison to some of the works of Norwegian groove meister Bugge Wesseltoft. Whatever the style the musicianship is of the highest quality with no shortage of talent is on show. A slight echo is added to the mix making the affair stand out far ahead speakers and extend far behind the walls to create the sensation of a private concert being presented in a church hall.
As alluded to, the recording is slightly artificial, but this does not detract from the great performance, the copy I enjoyed is a CD quality 44.1/16, if there is a 24bit version available that is likely to enhance matters. The recording would benefit from more warmth than my set up at home can offer, but it’s never bright or fatiguing. Little Big III is mighty pleasant musical surprise. Very highly recommended.
Best tracks: Locked Down, Heart Stories, Ashé
Reuben Klein