Horace Parlan - Four Classic Albums / 2CD set

Four Blue Note albums, headed by Parlan, the CD1 pair with the Turrentine brothers in the front-line, those with the just the trio collected in CD2. Pianist Parlan (1931-2017) was hampered after suffering from polio, this requiring him to stress his left-hand technique. From 1973 he moved to Copenhagen and gained great success there.

He had the good sense on these rather splendid 1960s recordings to use a bassist and drummer who exactly complemented his relatively sparse but percussive approach. This is apparent on his ‘Wadin’, a blues, with Tucker’s booming sound and wonderful walking style heard first on this, the initial track from Speaking My Piece, Harewood tucked in, all concerned intent on swing. Writer Nat Hentoff cites Tucker’s ‘authoritative groove’ and he’s right. Tommy Turrentine, a confident player whose career was grounded by addiction, has something of Fats Navarro’s bright fluency in his solo attack, his tone marginally more strident, while his brother and co-partner Stanley is ‘robustly warm’ as Hentoff has it. Their companionable playing and the way they mesh with Parlan, Tucker and Harewood brings everything to life perfectly.    

Disc 1
    1 Wadin'
    2 Up in Cynthia's Room
    3 Borderline
    4 Rastus
    5 Oh So Blue
    6 Speakin' My Piece
    7 On the Spur of the Moment
    8 Skoo Chee
    9 And That I Am So in Love
    10 Al's Tune
    11 Ray C
    12 Pyramid

    Disc 2
    1 Us Three
    2 I Want to Be Loved
    3 Come Rain Or Come Shine
    4 Wadin'
    5 The Lady Is a Tramp
    6 Walkin'
    7 Return Engagement
    8 Headin' South
    9 The Song Is Ended
    10 Summertime
    11 Low Down
    12 Congalegre
    13 Prelude to a Kiss
    14 Jim Loves Sue
    15 My Mother's Eyes