Find the Way

Personnel: Ben Street (double bass); Billy Hart (drums); Aaron Parks (piano).Recording information: Pernes-Les-Fontaines (10/2015); Studios La Buissonne (10/2015).Arborescence, pianist Aaron Parks' 2013 debut for ECM, was a solo record showcasing 11 improvised pieces recorded at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. Find the Way, his trio debut for the label, is its opposite, a collection of eight originals and one cover (the title track) that all rely heavily on assonant harmonic exchanges and intimate but dynamic interplay with drummer Billy Hart and bassist Ben Street; they open these compositions up with an uncommon breathability. The rhythm section is well acquainted, having worked together on three albums by the drummer, including his two ECM outings All Our Reasons (2012) and One Is the Other (2014). This set was cut over three days in 2015 in a studio in the south of France. Since his mid-twenties, Parks has revealed a canny sense of melodic, spatial, and tonal inventions