Label: Blue Note Records, 2025

Personnel - Ben Solomon: tenor saxophone; Aaron Parks: piano; Ben Street: acoustic bass; Billy Hart: drums.

The work of pianist and composer Aaron Parks has long earned recognition for its lyricism, inventiveness, and balance between modernity and tradition. On By All Means, featuring seven tuneful originals—some newly penned, others revisited—Parks reunites with his Find the Way (ECM, 2017) trio mates, bassist Ben Street and drummer Billy Hart, expanding the lineup into a multi-generational quartet with the addition of rising saxophonist Ben Solomon, a former member of Wallace Roney’s band.

Leaning toward the introspective, the album opens with the harmonically sophisticated rubato ballad “A Way”. Hart’s expert brushwork, Street’s abstract yet groovy commentary, and Parks’ sculpted piano textures create an intimate, hovering atmosphere. Keith Jarrett often comes to mind here, particularly as Solomon’s supple saxophone tone glides over the trio’s musing rhythmic fabric with striking emotional range.

“Park’s Lope”—a self-portrait of sorts—flows with post-bop elegance, beginning with a magnetic pulse that eases into a lilting, lightly propulsive cadence supporting heartfelt solos from both Parks and Solomon. The pianist’s phrasing and harmonic sense reveal hints of Herbie Nichols, Thelonious Monk, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, yet he remains unmistakably himself.

Unlike Parks’ Little Big project, which leaned toward indie and electronic textures, By All Means stays closer to the jazz tradition, exploring song form and improvisational depth with unhurried focus. Two family tributes provide emotional anchors: “For Maria José”, dedicated to his wife, unfolds as a mid-tempo 4/4 ballad of gratitude and grace; while “Little River”, written for his eldest son Lucas, takes shape as a stately 3/4 tune with a flowing melody and gently breezing harmonic progression. Parks’ lyrical soloing feels effortlessly expressive, and Solomon’s follow-up brims with the spiritual warmth of Coltrane and the intense vibration of Sonny Rollins.

Composed when Parks was still a teenager, “Anywhere Together” receives an invigorating treatment from the rhythm section—its swinging vitality testifying to both elegance and maturity. Hart’s drumming, marked by deft cymbal accents and impeccable dynamic sense, remains a highlight throughout. In turn, the laid-back closer, “Raincoat”, inspired by electronic artist Baths, settles into a sultry Latinized groove, with Street and Hart providing a supple, understated foundation.

By All Means would catch on a general audience as this well-connected quartet offers a deeply-felt set of sympathetic jazz music.