Horace Parlan Blue Parlan

Among the most revered and in-demand pianists of the post-bop era, Horace Parlan remains one of the most well represented jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s, having produced both an extraordinary array of albums as leader, and concurrently contributed to a quite staggering selection of highly regarded albums by other premier jazz musicians. This 4CD boxset collates all of Horace Parlan's solo-albums from the 1960s, on which he performed as leader, alongside his finest contribution to a fellow musician's record. A pioneer who adapted his disability into a distinctive style, Parlan remains one of the finest jazz-men of the age, and this superb collection of his best work serves as both a dynamic reminder of his prowess, and as a fully-formed starting point for any inquisitive beginner.

Real Gone Jazz reissued seven classic albums from the early '60s by hard bop pianist Horace Parlan, Movin' and Groovin', Us Three, Speakin' My Piece, Headin' South, On the Spur of the Moment, Up and Down, and Doin' Alright (with Dexter Gordon). Even though this set does not contain any bonus tracks, this isn't a bad way to pick up these sessions if you don't already own them.

Happy Frame of Mind finds Horace Parlan breaking away from the soul-inflected hard bop that had become his trademark, moving his music into more adventurous, post-bop territory. Aided by a first-rate quintet - trumpeter Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Butch Warren, drummer Billy Higgins - Parlan produces a provocative set that is grounded in soul and blues but stretches out into challenging improvisations. None of the musicians completely embrace the avant-garde, but there are shifting tonal textures and unpredictable turns in the solos which have been previously unheard in Parlan's music. Perhaps that's the reason why Happy Frame of Mind sat unissued in Blue Note's vaults until 1976, when it was released as part of a double-record Booker Ervin set, but the fact of the matter is, it's one of Parlan's most successful efforts, finding the perfect middle ground between accessible, entertaining jazz and more adventurous music.

Happy Frame of Mind finds Horace Parlan breaking away from the soul-inflected hard bop that had become his trademark, moving his music into more adventurous, post-bop territory. Aided by a first-rate quintet - trumpeter Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Butch Warren, drummer Billy Higgins - Parlan produces a provocative set that is grounded in soul and blues but stretches out into challenging improvisations. None of the musicians completely embrace the avant-garde, but there are shifting tonal textures and unpredictable turns in the solos which have been previously unheard in Parlan's music. Perhaps that's the reason why Happy Frame of Mind sat unissued in Blue Note's vaults until 1976, when it was released as part of a double-record Booker Ervin set, but the fact of the matter is, it's one of Parlan's most successful efforts, finding the perfect middle ground between accessible, entertaining jazz and more adventurous music.

Happy Frame of Mind finds Horace Parlan breaking away from the soul-inflected hard bop that had become his trademark, moving his music into more adventurous, post-bop territory. Aided by a first-rate quintet - trumpeter Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Butch Warren, drummer Billy Higgins - Parlan produces a provocative set that is grounded in soul and blues but stretches out into challenging improvisations. None of the musicians completely embrace the avant-garde, but there are shifting tonal textures and unpredictable turns in the solos which have been previously unheard in Parlan's music. Perhaps that's the reason why Happy Frame of Mind sat unissued in Blue Note's vaults until 1976, when it was released as part of a double-record Booker Ervin set, but the fact of the matter is, it's one of Parlan's most successful efforts, finding the perfect middle ground between accessible, entertaining jazz and more adventurous music.

On this recording made in 1960 during his tenure with Lou Donaldson, pianist Horace Parlan is situated nicely alongside bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood. The trio had its own gig on Sundays at Minton's in Harlem, and had established a repertoire and reputation for being able to lay down both hard bop and soul-jazz stylings with equal verve. (And yeah, that jazz/hip-hop group from the 1990s was named after this disc.) The proceedings here are straight-ahead with some cool soul-jazz touches. Parlan's "Wadin'" moves the off-minor key of "Wade in the Water" and funkifies the rhythm, paraphrasing and improvising as the rhythm section struts it out…

Recorded at Focus Studio, Copenhagen, June 18 & 19, 1997. The trio are: Mads Vinding (Bass), Ed Thigpen (Drums), Horace Parlan (Piano).
Horace Parlan overcame physical disability and thrived as a pianist despite it. His right hand was partially disabled by polio in his childhood, but Parlan made frenetic, highly rhythmic right-hand phrases part of his characteristic style, contrasting them with striking left-hand chords. He also infused blues and R&B influences into his style, playing in a stark, sometimes somber fashion. Parlan always cited Ahmad Jamal and Bud Powell as prime influences. He began playing in R&B bands during the '50s, joining Charles Mingus' group from 1957 to 1959 following a move from Pittsburgh to New York…

Up & Down is one of three Horace Parlan albums that simultaneously featured saxophonist Booker Ervin and guitarist Grant Green during the pianist's golden-era run at Blue Note. Parlan's standard rhythm section bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood are here, but the presence of both Green and Ervin lends some serious meat-and-potatoes weight to this hard bop and primordial soul-jazz session. Ervin's earthy tone highlighted numerous sets by Parlan, but the presence of Green, who was quickly becoming a rising star at this point, put the earth tones back into the virtuosic mix of talents.