Tag Archives: Jeff Parker

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet preview upcoming album, Happy Today, with new single ‘Like Swimwear (Part Two)’

23 April 2026

Photo: Sam Lee

We started the month with wonderful news from Jeff Parker, who announced Happy Today, the third album with his ETA IVtet, comprising Jay Bellerose on drums, Anna Butterss on bass, and Josh Johnson on saxophone. Happy Today features two long-form pieces, and the incredibly talented, versatile and prolific guitarist and composer had already enticed us with an excerpt from the utterly delightful and stunning ‘Like Swimwear (Part One)’. As we near release date on May 15th through International Anthem and Nonesuch Records, Jeff Parker ETA IVtet have shared an excerpt from the second album gem, ‘Like Swimwear (part two)’. The single comes with an accompanying video, previewing an album-length concert film by Charlie Weinmann, which is set to released on May 29th,  with premiere screenings taking place in Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. Watch the video below.

Jeff Parker announces third ETA IVtet album, Happy Today

10 April 2026

There’s wonderful news from incredibly talented, versatile and prolific guitarist and composer Jeff Parker, who has recently announced Happy Today, a brand new album with his ETA IVtet. The quartet, comprising Jay Bellerose on drums, Anna Butterss on bass, and Josh Johnson on saxophone, has been building its sound for years, originally forming out of Parker’s long-running Monday night sessions at the now-closed ETA in Los Angeles. Happy Today stretches across two long-form pieces, and it was recorded live at Lodge Room in LA last August. The album is also tied to a difficult period in Parker’s life, something he speaks about:

“2025 was a very difficult year for me and my family. 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.”

Even with the dark elements surrounding it, there’s a warmth to the album, and it feels open, human, and uplifting.

Happy Today arrives on May 15th through International Anthem and Nonesuch Records and alongside the album, a concert film by Charlie Weinmann is set to follow later in May, capturing the same performance that became the record.

An excerpt from the utterly delightful and stunning ‘Like Swimwear (Part One)’ is now streaming and serves as the first taste of what’s coming. Take a listen now.

Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer unveil ‘Side by Side’ ft. Jeff Parker

03 June 2025

Photo: Charlie Weinmann

After introducing Different Rooms with the enveloping and hazy first single ‘Mean Solar Time‘, modular synthesist Jeremiah Chiu and violist Marta Sofia Honer have shared a second glimpse into their upcoming album titled ‘Side by Side’. On the track, “a spectrum of deconstructed and looped guitar lines by Jeff Parker form a stirring melodic soundscape that’s buoyed by Honer’s lush string arrangements”, as the press release describes. “As the tune develops, arpeggios slowly fade from the background to the foreground, revealing Chiu’s modular synthesizer as the engine underneath the hood.”

Listen to ‘Side by Side’ below and grab the album when it drops on June 20th through International Anthem.

Mixtape #172

02 June 2025


It’s no secret we were completely drawn in by Sheldon Agwu’s work after stumbling upon his music earlier this year. A longtime presence in London’s music scene, Agwu has collaborated with artists like Jordan Rakei, Yussef Dayes and Bonobo, and held musical director roles at iconic venues like Jazz Cafe and XOYO. The London-based guitarist, producer and multi-instrumentalist released Kintsugi in April, a stunning and sublime debut inspired by and named after the Japanese art of embracing imperfection. With this album, Agwu channels years of exploration into a deeply personal and affecting work, blending virtuosic electric guitar with influences from jazz, hip-hop, trip hop, and ambient textures. So we’re over the moon to have him at the helm of this month’s mixtape. Featuring tracks from Jon Hassell, Thelonious Monk, Bitchin Bajas, Madlib, Sam Gendel and more, it opens a window into the creative world that helps shape his own music. Press play and drift away.

  1. Andrew Pekler – Forever (Is No Time At All) [Faitiche]
  2. Thelonious Monk – Ugly Beauty [Columbia]
  3. Jon Hassell – Empire V [Editions EG]
  4. Daniel Villarreal – Things Can Be Calm [International Anthem]
  5. Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, Sam Wilkes – Marvis [International Anthem]
  6. Dorothy Ashby – Wax & Wane [Cadet]
  7. Kenny Burrell – Theme IV, Recapitulation [Cadet]
  8. Yesterdays New Quintet (Madlib) – Julani [Stones Throw Records]
  9. Ken Brown – Continental Drift [Temporary Residence]
  10. Jeff Parker – Jrifted [International Anthem]
  11. Can – Spray [United Artists Records]
  12. Tony Williams – Circa 45 [Polydor]
  13. Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas – Clock No Clock [Drag City]
  14. Bilal – Evr Chngin Nrml
  15. Triosk Meets Jan Jelinek – The Lake [~scape]
  16. Bitchin Bajas – Amorpha [Drag City]
  17. Sam Gendel – Two Tone [Leaving Records]

Daniel Villarreal announces Lados B LP featuring Jeff Parker & Anna Butterss

27 September 2023

Photo: Cassie Scott

Chicago based Daniel Villarreal has announced the release of Lados B, the follow-up to last year’s acclaimed debut Panamá 77. Back in 2020, Villarreal spent a couple of afternoons recording in LA with guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss, and these sessions yielded Panama 77, as well as more material unreleased until now. Lados B, which means B sides, is also the fruit of those sessions but despite its name, the record is “more a zoomed-in view of one particular session”, as the press release describes, “a detail from a larger painting in which you can see all kind of new things”.

Lados B arrives on October 6th through International Anthem and ahead of it Villarreal has shared the beaming and groovy ‘Sunset Cliffs’ as the lead single. The track comes with an accompanying video made by Burkie and you can watch it below.