Jeff Parker

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on April 4, 1967, Jeff Parker is a post-rock and jazz multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of post-rock bands Isotope 217, the Chicago Underground Trio, and Tortoise. Raised in Hampton, Virginia, he trained on several instruments before attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. His instincts drew him towards experimental music, where he explored free jazz, electronica, rock, and improvisation. Relocating to Chicago, Illinois in 1991. He soon integrated himself into the Chicago underground and alternative music scene. By the middle of the 1990s, he had fallen in with a group of musicians that pioneered the new sound of the city, joining post-rock outfit Tortoise, the Chicago Underground Trio and forming Isotope 217 with members of both of those other groups. Jeff Parker’s most high-profile recordings were with Tortoise, first appearing on their 1998 album TNT. After albums with the Chicago Underground Trio and Isotope 217 and Tortoise, he also released albums as a leader, beginning with 2003’s Like-Coping. As a guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and drummer, he became a prolific musician and continued to work with Tortoise as well as release several more solo albums – including The Relatives (2005) and Bright Light in Winter (2012) – before moving to Los Angeles, California. Jeff Parker became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and provided his skills as a sideman for artists such as George Lewis, Ernest Dawkins, Joshua Redman, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joey DeFrancesco, Smog, and many others. He continued his solo career with The New Breed (2016), Slight Freedom (2016), Suite for Max Brown (2020), and Forfolks (2021).

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