Jeff Parker is a busy guy. Last year, his '90s post-rock band Tortoise released a new record (Parker played on the album, but isn't currently touring with the group) and lent his skills to Flea's new solo album Honora. Through all of that he kept playing as the lead in his quartet the ETA IVtet (a play on the name Enfield Tennis Academy, a now shuttered LA jazz spot) that features Anna Butterrs on bass, Josh Johnson on saxophone (both of whom are members of jazz group SML and also play on Flea's new LP), and drummer Jeff Bellerose. While working through some rather difficult personal matters, Parker persevered and recorded his band's set from last August at another venerable LA jazz spot, the Lodge Room , which has now been transformed into a new album called Happy Today. When speaking about the new record, Parker shared:
Dealing with being displaced from the Eaton fires for eight months, and the kind of toll that instability took on my family’s mental health and general outlook, coupled with Donald Trump being back in office and basically making life miserable for everyone… There was a lot of sadness and despair. But feeling the sense of community that we created with our concert, and later hearing the recording, seeing the beautiful footage that had been shot and the photographs of such joy to be back in that space and to be making music again: It was a very happy moment. So I called the record Happy Today. It’s meant to be a statement of joy.
The album itself is divided into two halves, each taking up one side of the vinyl record, and today he's shared the first half of "Like Swimwear" which slowly churns into the sprawling, ambient jazz that this group has so wonderfully been creating through each of their sets.
Happy Today is out May 15.
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