A band that endures over the course of years is bound to deepen and evolve, and that is certainly true of Aaron Parks Little Big, launched by the celebrated pianist in collaboration with guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard Jr. and original drummer Tommy Crane. Now with new drummer Jongkuk Kim joining the fold, the group is proud to share the release of a rough-and-ready live performance—recorded as an iPhone voice memo—that captures its inimitable dynamic on the bandstand.
As they reinterpret material from their first two studio albums Little Big continues to cultivate a productive tension between structure and spontaneity, with melodies that seem not read from a page “but more as if they’re spontaneously sung,” Tuohey says. “When the band began we would approach Aaron’s songs with clear written parts, working within a fairly tight framework with a lot of polishing and tightening.” But over time, “it’s become something of its own nature, and not always on the grid,” he says. “We’re creating something really loose and open. We’re listening so deeply that it has become a collective sound, not like piano and guitar but a single, fused instrument.”
“It’s not a perfect recording, there are plenty of mistakes—mostly mine,” admits Parks, “but you can hear us laughing through them because we’re feeling good as a band.” The aim for the next studio recording is to harness that spirit while expanding the group’s compositional reach with new tunes such as Tuohey’s surging ostinato groover, “Sports” (which also appears on Live in Berlin, preceded by a spontaneous composition by Ginyard entitled “Right in Front of Me”).
The recording’s infectious crowd energy is a testament to this lean-and-mean offering from Little Big—and a prelude to its collaborative third album, to be recorded this December.
credits
released December 1, 2023
Greg Tuohey - guitar
Aaron Parks - piano and keyboard
David Ginyard, Jr - bass
Jongkuk Kim - drums
All music composed by Aaron Parks (Invisible Cinema Music, BMI) except for: "Right in Front of Me" composed by David Ginyard, Jr (DGINYARD Junkyard Publishing, SESAC) and "Sports" composed by Greg Tuohey (Tuohey Music, BMI)
Recorded at Zig Zag Jazz Club, Berlin, on May 17th 2023
Mastered by Andreas Borg and Aaron Parks
with additional insight and guidance from Brian Joseph
supported by 108 fans who also own “Live In Berlin”
A story of sadness, confusion, and despair ending in hope and certainty that the cosmos is not a random and meaningless jumble of atoms populated by mindless mechanical men, but a world of meaning, beauty, and truth. Emotions and the heart are not everything, but they are an essential part of being human. ianjworsomething
supported by 69 fans who also own “Live In Berlin”
Beautiful album. Absolutely no filler tracks, and every tune is a character that stands out. Perfectly combines scripted melody with inspired and well played solos. Aaron Parks is a storyteller, and every song on this album is a chapter in one epic tale. ianjworsomething