Aaron Parks Little Big + Carl Zinssou Quartet

Great things come in small packages. That’s certainly true for Aaron Parks Little Big, which brings together four of the biggest names on the international jazz scene today. Based in The Big Apple, they release one major album after another and perform on the world’s most prestigious stages. Frontman Aaron Parks is widely regarded as one of his generation’s greatest pianists—and it’s easy to see why when you listen to him and Little Big, who wonderfully blend jazz, rock, and classical music into brilliantly inventive and irresistibly funky feel-good melodies. Listen closely, and you might catch echoes of GoGo Penguin, Stanley Clarke, and even a touch of Weather Report in their genre-crossing sound. Small simply doesn’t get much bigger! And yet, this evening is even bigger: you’ll get not one, but two concerts, as the winner of the 2025 Jazz Competition, Carl Zinssou Quartet, will also perform. It promises to be a big night in little Kolding!

About Aaron Parks
Pianist Aaron Parks (b. October 7, 1983) released his Blue Note debut album, Invisible Cinema at age 25, following three Blue Note albums with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. BBC called it “one of the great albums of 2008,” JazzTimes described him as “a new visionary,” and San Jose Mercury News named his album Alive in Japan Jazz Album of the Year 2013.

He has released two albums on ECM Records, including a solo piano recording and a trio album with Billy Hart and Ben Street. Parks has performed and recorded with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dhafer Youssef, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Kendrick Scott, Marcus Miller, and many others. He is also a co-founder of the group James Farm, alongside Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland.

His latest project, Aaron Parks Little Big, was praised by PopMatters as “a glimpse of what jazz can be in the new century.” The group released their debut album in late 2018, followed by Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man in May 2020 to widespread acclaim. Later that year, Parks was selected as one of six composers to participate in the prestigious Sundance Institute Film Music and Sound Design Lab.

In 2022, he released two trio albums in collaboration with Matt Brewer and Eric Harland, and in October 2024, Aaron Parks Little Big III came out on Blue Note Records. Parks’ music effortlessly blends modern jazz, indie rock, and Eastern tonalities, creating a truly unique and personal expression. His playing is characterized by lyrical beauty, rhythmic complexity, and harmonic refinement, and he is celebrated for his ability to evoke emotion and reflection through his music, making him one of the most influential and respected jazz pianists of his generation.

Line-up:
Aaron Parks (US) – grand piano
Greg Tuohey (NZ) – guitar
David Ginyard (US) – bass
Jongkuk Kim (KR) – drums

About Carl Zinssou
Carl Zinssou is a young pianist and composer who writes energetic and expressive music for his modern jazz quartet, which won the national Jazz Competition organized by Jazz Denmark in 2025. Fronted by piano and cello, the quartet blends elements of classical chamber music, traditional Nordic music, and modern expressive New York jazz.

The band is unafraid to push the boundaries of what a modern jazz quartet can be. With their unique sound, the Zinssou Quartet has freed itself from genre constraints, drawing the best from various musical worlds and textures. With a refreshing approach to Nordic jazz and a strong stage presence, the quartet invites listeners into a sensitive, expressive, and playful universe that resonates in mind, body, and soul. In 2026, the band will release its first album, from which they will perform selections at Godset.

Line-up:
Carl Zinssou – piano
Maiken Thunbo – cello
Elias Hvidtfeldt – bass
Lasse Gerup – drums