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Chicago music remains interesting and vital in part because of how local subcultures overlap and intersect. The city has many communities of musicians focused on specific sounds, but the boundaries around these communities are porous; improvised multi-instrumentalists collaborate with rappers, hip-hop producers attend jazz concerts, and rock musicians immerse themselves in hardware-centric underground dance scenes. This cross-pollinated ecosystem owes its sustainability to figures such as Jeff Parker. He’s famous as a jazz guitarist, member of Tortoise, sought-after sideman, and free improviser, but he also has less publicized talents: his DJ sets at the late Wicker Park club Rodan have attracted fans of arty jazz and hip-hop. producers who have since built Chicago’s thriving beat scene. Parker moved to Los Angeles in 2013, but he kept Chicago close to his heart. In January he released Suite for Max Brown, his second solo album for the famous local label International Anthem (in partnership with the heavy indie Nonesuch). As he did for 2016 The new breed, Parker shaped the songs on the new album by experimenting with hip-hop production and synth gear, fleshing out his early demos with lush recordings that retain the electricity and feel of a dusty, eccentric vinyl sample hiccupping through. a hip-hop cut. Parker manages a large part of the instrumentation on Suite for Max Brown himself – he plays guitar, piano, drums and a semi-modular Korg synthesizer on the wayward and unstable “Build a Nest”, which sounds perfect thanks to the sure voice of emerging Chicago talent Ruby Parker (who is also his daughter). On other tracks, he draws on his vast network of musician friends to bring his equipment home; drummer Makaya McCraven and bassist Paul Bryan help give “Go Away” its exciting combination of sweeping riffs, spirited beats and haunting atmosphere. v
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