The Contemporary Voices and Visions Series at Hamilton College will present the Aaron Parks Jazz Quartet on Friday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m., in Wellin Hall.
The 26-year-old pianist and composer Aaron Parks came to the public's attention during his time with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Born in Seattle, Parks began playing piano at a young age and by the time he was 14 had enrolled in an early entrance degree program at the University of Washington. Originally, Parks pursued both science and music degrees; however, his prodigious talent won out and by age 16 he had transferred to the Manhattan School of Music.
While there, he studied with noted pianist Kenny Barron and received competitive accolades, including being named the 2001 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association. At age 18 he joined Blanchard's ensemble and subsequently recorded three albums with the veteran trumpeter, including "Bounce" (2003), "Flow" (2005), the soundtrack to the 2006 Spike Lee film, Inside Man, and Terence Blanchard's 2007 Grammy-winning opus, "A Tale of God's Will" ("A Requiem for Katrina").
Parks released his debut album as a band leader, "Invisible Cinema," on Blue Note Records in 2008. He was featured in the September 2008 issue of JazzTimes and hailed as a “New Visionary”—exploring the common ground between his influences: from modern progressive jazz to indie rock and hip-hop. Parks represents a new generation of jazz musicians, as he cites bands from Radiohead to Blonde Redhead among his major influences along with Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and Terence Blanchard.
Tickets for this event are $18 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for students. All seating is general admission. For more information or tickets call the box office at (315) 859-4331 or visit www.hamiltonpa.org
The 26-year-old pianist and composer Aaron Parks came to the public's attention during his time with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Born in Seattle, Parks began playing piano at a young age and by the time he was 14 had enrolled in an early entrance degree program at the University of Washington. Originally, Parks pursued both science and music degrees; however, his prodigious talent won out and by age 16 he had transferred to the Manhattan School of Music.
While there, he studied with noted pianist Kenny Barron and received competitive accolades, including being named the 2001 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association. At age 18 he joined Blanchard's ensemble and subsequently recorded three albums with the veteran trumpeter, including "Bounce" (2003), "Flow" (2005), the soundtrack to the 2006 Spike Lee film, Inside Man, and Terence Blanchard's 2007 Grammy-winning opus, "A Tale of God's Will" ("A Requiem for Katrina").
Parks released his debut album as a band leader, "Invisible Cinema," on Blue Note Records in 2008. He was featured in the September 2008 issue of JazzTimes and hailed as a “New Visionary”—exploring the common ground between his influences: from modern progressive jazz to indie rock and hip-hop. Parks represents a new generation of jazz musicians, as he cites bands from Radiohead to Blonde Redhead among his major influences along with Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and Terence Blanchard.
Tickets for this event are $18 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for students. All seating is general admission. For more information or tickets call the box office at (315) 859-4331 or visit www.hamiltonpa.org
