TITLE: "Invisible Cinema" (Blue Note)

ARTIST: Aaron Parks

STARS: 4 out of 5 Stars

SOUNDS LIKE: Harmonically complex but accessible crossover jazz that's influenced by Robert Glasper and Herbie Hancock.

Good instrumental jazz is like watching a movie. The story line, plot and climax all takes place between your ears. With rhythmic and harmonic colorings and textures, it creates subconscious visual images. Piano licks become raindrops. A guitar solo evokes a lonely highway. The melody itself becomes a musical journey with the artist as tour guide.

"Invisible Cinema" the debut CD by jazz pianist Aaron Parks is just that type of experience. Each song is like a miniature motion picture.

"Somebody once asked me to find two words that describe the music I make and the words I picked were 'spontaneous' and 'cinematic,'" said Parks from a press release.

"Invisible Cinema is what music is, in sense," he added. "You can't see it. But there's all this drama between the musicians, all these stories that can be told...this album has a story line that I wouldn't spell out to anybody, because I want to leave it open to interpretation."

The 10 track "Invisible Cinema" starts out with the Robert Glasper sounding "Travelers." Park's lilting piano melody over a metallic sounding snare drum evokes the urgent beginnings of a journey.

"Peaceful Warrior" starts out with a Japanese motif that gradually morphs into a bright countryside romp and back again by way of Pat Martino's shimmering guitar work.

"Karma" is an elegantly complex piece with Parks rapid fire soloing over a hard bop beat.

Overall, "Invisible Cinema" is an excellent debut by a promising young artist. I can't wait to hear what he does next. Highly recommended.