AARON PARKS
What’s the Deal: Remember back when jazz was cool? Well, you probably don’t, unless you happen to be in your '60s or '70s. Miles, Thelonious, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins (still pumping it out), and countless others made jazz cool, but somewhere along the way it got lost, and it was replaced by genres like dancey post-punk. Luckily, there are young musicians like Parks, Christian Scott and Esperanza Spalding helping to snatch jazz out of the hands of your granddad and hand it down like a Werther’s Original. More emotional than the whiniest indie rock and more excitable than the rowdiest punk rock, and all with a bit of sophistication oozing out, it doesn’t make sense why more aren’t thumbing through record store bins seeking out old horns instead of people spending way too much time trying to look the part. Well, instead of a horn Parks uses a piano. His debut,
Invisible Cinema, coming out on Blue Note (a huge accomplishment for an out-of-the-gate jazz musician) makes as many melodies as it does dazzling numbers with his fingers stretched out around the room. What can you expect from a musician who lists in the same bank of influences Ornette Coleman, Elliott Smith and The Roots?
One of the more powerful numbers from Invisible Cinema is “Travelers,” which seems like a pretty classic piano jazz tune, except with an almost electronic drum beat in the background. Parks leaves nearly no key untouched as he twinkles around never hitting a sour note, and the melody at the end when all fades away but a sad and solemn piano riff is a nostalgia-evoking, beautiful sound.
Something Interesting: Parks first got the attention of Blue Note while playing with acclaimed trumpeter Terence Blanchard. In the jazz tradition, he’s also played with a number of other impressive acts like Christian Scott, who’s been getting a lot of attention lately.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Nemesis” and “Into the Labyrinth”
MANIKIN
What’s the Deal: Manikin… Ah, Manikin. They’re one of those local bands that everyone talks about, and now is as good a time as any to add this threesome to the list. They’ve got little in common with the jazz listed above other than both styles of music have been associated with counter-culture types at one point and that they both contain a fair degree of experimentation. Manikin's been kicking around the scene since around 2002, and their rambling punk rock and guitar grit is well worth checking out a few minutes of a recording or two. Or, you could just jump right in and go see them, which is the suggested method of familiarizing yourself with the group.
Manikin released a 7” earlier this year called M Theory on Super Secret Records. The release’s “Death March” is a more typically punk tune with plenty of distortion, apathetic-sounding vocals and linear beats. “Can’t Stand Still” has all the energy of adolescence without making you feel juvenile for liking it. Fast, fun, furious – what’s not to like?
Something Interesting: They occasionally bring in trumpeter Bill to add some blasts.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Leaders” and “Face the Wall”
