High quality vinyl reissue! Quality sound taken from the original master tapes, 180 gram vinyl, heavy cardboard sleeve and original artwork.Wicked work by pianist Horace Parlan - and one of his most stunning Blue Note sessions ever! The album was first recorded in 1963, but then kept on the shelf for years - seeing only brief release as part of a Booker Ervin package in the late 70s, and finally coming out with the proper cover and lineup at some point in the 80s! Why Blue Note waited so long is a mystery, because the album's a gem throughout - almost more important, and more starkly modern than any of Parlan's other work for the label. Booker Ervin leads the frontline on tenor, alongside Johnny Coles on trumpet, Grant Green on guitar, a...
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1. A little known but classic Blue Note
Pianist Horace Parlan seems best known for two collaborations which "book end" his career. The first, in the late 1950's, was his participation in a Charles Mingus group which yielded two of his greatest albums: "Mingus Ah Um" and "Blue and Roots". Parlan's simple but hard-driving and bluesy style made him the perfect accompanist for Mingus. The second was his partnership with Archie Shepp on two duet albums---featuring spare, beautiful versions of gospel and blues pieces (Shepp's tone on these is incredibly effective).
In between, from 1960 to 1963, Parlan recorded seven sessions for Blue Note, all within the "hard bop" tradition. Three are trio sessions which are fine but, to me, highlight the pianists' limitations (in particular, his long solos tend can get repetitious). The four quintet or sextet sessions are of greater interest, especially this one.
This session has many of the ingredients of a classic Blue Note including a variety of moods and great...
2. An Above Average Session
This album used to be available in a limited edition version in the US- and may still be if you can find it in stores. "Happy Frame of Mind" is not exactly the Horace Parlan, Johnny Coles, and Booker Ervin sounds the listener may be used to from hearing their contributions on various Mingus releases, but all the same they all display formidable musicianship here. The first number, Home is Africa, remains for me the best track here: a minor key blues, with ruminative modal solos from all the front linemen, including an especially expansive one from Parlan. The album also features a couple of other satisfying blues performances and two originals by Parlan and Ervin. Summarily, you might enjoy this if you would like to hear how some excellent jazz musicians played for a rather informal and loose Blue note recording session: although Horace Parlan is listed as the leader here, there's really no striking evidence of his leadership or organization, it seems more a...
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A little known but classic Blue Note
Pianist Horace Parlan seems best known for two collaborations which "book end" his career. The first, in the late 1950's, was his participation in a Charles Mingus group which yielded two of his greatest albums: "Mingus Ah Um" and "Blue and Roots". Parlan's simple but hard-driving and bluesy style made him the perfect accompanist for Mingus. The second was his partnership with Archie Shepp on two duet albums---featuring spare, beautiful versions of gospel and blues pieces (Shepp's tone on these is incredibly effective).
In between, from 1960 to 1963, Parlan recorded seven sessions for Blue Note, all within the "hard bop" tradition. Three are trio sessions which are fine but, to me, highlight the pianists' limitations (in particular, his long solos tend can get repetitious). The four quintet or sextet sessions are of greater interest, especially this one.
This session has many of the ingredients of a classic Blue Note including a variety of moods and great...
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