jeff parker: suite for max brown

Jeff Parker, known by many as the longtime guitarist for the Chicago–based quintet Tortoise, releases his new album, Suite For Max Brown, via the partnership between International Anthem and Nonesuch Records. This project is informally a companion piece to its predecessor The New Breed, Parker’s 2016 album on International Anthem, establishing himself as one of the most formidable solo talents in modern jazz.

Putting together a digital bed of beats and samples, Parker lays down tracks of his own on guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and occasionally voice; he then invites his musician friends to play and improvise over his melodies. While the process may be relatively solitary and cerebral, the results feel like in-the-moment jams—warm-hearted, human, alive. Suite for Max Brown brims with personality, boasting the rhythmic flow of hip hop and the soulful swing of jazz.

There is a multi-generational vibe to the music too, as Parker balances his contemporary digital explorations with excursions into older jazz. Along with original compositions, Parker includes reinterpretations on Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus” and John Coltrane’s “After the Rain”. All those converging influences contributing to Suite For Max Brown, avilable on vinyl via International Anthem and Nonesuch Records.

“I like to pursue situations that take me outside myself, where the things I come up with are things I didn’t really know I could do. I always look at this process as patchwork quilting. You take this stuff and stitch it together until a tapestry forms.”