Horace Parlan

Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017)^[1] was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Charles Mingus recordings Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots.

Horace Parlan
Born	(1931-01-19)January 19, 1931 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 23, 2017(2017-02-23) (aged 86) Korsør, Denmark
Genres	Bebop avant-garde jazz post-bop third stream
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument	Piano
Labels	Blue Note, SteepleChase

Early life

He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.^[2] In his birth year, Parlan was stricken with polio, resulting in the partial crippling of his right hand. The handicap contributed to his development of a particularly "pungent" left-hand chord voicing style, while comping with highly rhythmic phrases with the right.^[3]

Later life and career

Between 1952 and 1957, he worked in Washington, D.C., with Sonny Stitt, then spent two years with Mingus' Jazz Workshop.^[3] In 1973, Parlan moved to Copenhagen, Denmark. He later settled in the small village of Rude in southern Zealand. In 1974, he completed a State Department tour of Africa with Hal Singer.^[3]

His later work, such as a series of duos with the tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp included the album Goin' Home (1977),^[2] steeped in gospel music.

Parlan received the 2000 Ben Webster Prize awarded by the Ben Webster Foundation.

He died at a nursing home in Naestved, Denmark at the age of 86. He had been suffering from multiple ailments, including diabetes and failing eyesight.^[4][5]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Recording date	Title	Label	Year released	Notes
1960-02	Movin' & Groovin'	Blue Note	1960	Trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Al Harewood (drums)
1960-04	Us Three	Blue Note	1960	Trio, with George Tucker (bass), Al Harewood (drums)
1960-07	Speakin' My Piece	Blue Note	1960	Quintet, with Tommy Turrentine (trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax), George Tucker (bass), Al Harewood (drums)
1960-12	Headin' South	Blue Note	1961	Some tracks trio, with George Tucker (bass), Al Harewood (drums); most tracks quartet, with Ray Barretto (congas) added
1961-03	On the Spur of the Moment	Blue Note	1961	Quintet, with Tommy Turrentine (trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax), George Tucker (bass), Al Harewood (drums)
1961-06	Up & Down	Blue Note	1963	Quintet, with Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Grant Green (guitar), George Tucker (bass), Al Harewood (drums)
1963-02	Happy Frame of Mind	Blue Note	1986	One track quintet, with Johnny Coles (trumpet), Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Butch Warren (bass), Billy Higgins (drums); other tracks sextet, with Grant Green (guitar) added; originally released as part of Booker Ervin's Back from the Gig; released in Parlan's name in 1986[6][7]
1973-12	Arrival	SteepleChase	1974	Some tracks trio, with Hugo Rasmussen (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums); some tracks quintet, with Idrees Sulieman (flugelhorn), Bent Jædig (tenor sax) added
1975-12	No Blues	Steeplechase	1976	Trio, with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass), Tony Inzalaco (drums)
1977-02	Frank-ly Speaking	Steeplechase	1977	Quintet, with Frank Foster (tenor sax), Frank Strozier (alto sax), Lisle Atkinson (bass) Al Harewood (drums)
1977-04	Goin' Home	Steeplechase	1977	Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor sax, soprano sax)
1978-02	Hi-Fly	Steeplechase	1978	Trio, with Doug Raney (guitar), Wilbur Little (bass)
1978-11	Blue Parlan	Steeplechase	1979	Trio, with Wilbur Little (bass), Dannie Richmond (drums)
1979-11	Musically Yours	Steeplechase	1980	Solo piano
1979-11	The Maestro	Steeplechase	1982	Solo piano
1980-02	Trouble in Mind	Steeplechase	1980	Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor sax, soprano sax)
1981-02	Pannonica	Enja	1984	Trio, with Reggie Johnson (bass), Alvin Queen (drums)
1983-03	Like Someone in Love	Steeplechase	1983	Trio, with Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Dannie Richmond (drums)
1983-06	Jazzbühne Berlin '83 / Jazzbühne Berlin '79	Repertoire	1991	[2in1 CD] album shared with Mal Waldron; Solo piano
1984-07	Glad I Found You	Steeplechase	1984	Quintet, with Thad Jones (flugelhorn), Eddie Harris (tenor sax), Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Aage Tanggaard (drums)
1987-03	Little Esther	Soul Note	1987	Quartet, with Per Goldschmidt (baritone sax), Klavs Hovman (bass), Massimo De Majo (drums)
1987-05	Duo Reunion	L+R	1987	Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor sax)
1988-01	Keep Your Hands Wide Open	Olufsen	1988	Most tracks duo, with Soren S. Eriksen (alto sax); one track trio, with Thomas Helmig (vocals) added
1991-09	Swing Low	Plainisphare	1993	Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor sax, alto sax, vocals); in concert[8]
1994-04	Joinin' Forces	Olufsen	1994	Duo, co-led with Jan Kaspersen (piano)
1997-06	We Three	Baybridge	1998	Trio, with Mads Vinding (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums)
1998-08	The Horace Parlan Trio also released as Kōjō no Tsuki (荒城の月)	M&I	1999	Trio, with Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums)
1999-01	Voyage of Rediscovery	Storyville	1999	Solo piano
2001-09	Behind the Blues	Leafage Jazz	2002	Some tracks trio, with Mads Vinding (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums); some tracks quartet, with Staffan William-Olsson (guitar) added
2003-12	Relaxin' with Horace	Stunt	2004	Trio, with Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums)
2007-03	My Little Brown Book	Stunt	2007	Trio, with Christina Von Bulow (alto sax), Jesper Lundgaard (bass)

Main source:^[9]

Documentary, released on DVD: Horace Parlan by Horace Parlan^[10]

As sideman

With Dave Bailey One Foot in the Gutter (Epic, 1960) Gettin' Into Somethin' (Epic, 1961) – rec. 1960 With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Goin' to the Meeting (Prestige, 1961) – rec. 1960 Tough Tenor Favorites (Jazzland, 1962) also with Johnny Griffin Jaw's Blues (Enja, 1981) With Lou Donaldson The Time Is Right (Blue Note, 1959) Sunny Side Up (Blue Note, 1960) Midnight Sun (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1960 With Booker Ervin That's It! (Candid, 1961) Exultation! (Prestige, 1963) With Dexter Gordon Doin' Allright (Blue Note, 1961) Stable Mable (SteepleChase, 1975) With Slide Hampton Jazz with a Twist (Atlantic, 1962) – rec. 1961 Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton (Atlantic, 1962) With Roland Kirk Gifts & Messages (Mercury, 1964) I Talk with the Spirits (Limelight, 1965) – rec. 1964 Slightly Latin (Limelight, 1965) With Charles Mingus A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry (Bethlehem, 1957) Mingus Ah Um (Columbia, 1959) Blues & Roots (Atlantic, 1960) – rec. 1959 With Doug Raney I'll Close My Eyes (SteepleChase, 1982) Meeting the Tenors (Criss Cross, 1983) – rec. 1984 With Archie Shepp Splashes (L+R, 1987) Black Ballads (Timeless, 1992) With Idrees Sulieman Bird's Grass (SteepleChase, 1985) – rec. 1976 Groovin' (SteepleChase, 1986) – rec. 1985 With Stanley Turrentine Look Out! (Blue Note, 1960) Up at "Minton's" (Blue Note, 1961) Salt Song (CTI, 1971) Comin' Your Way (Blue Note, 1987) – rec. 1961

With others Gene Ammons, Gene Ammons in Sweden (Enja, 1981) – rec. 1973 Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Motoring Along (Sonet, 1975) Johnny Coles, New Morning (Criss Cross Jazz, 1982) Pierre Dorge, The Jazzpar Prize (Enja, 1992) Frank Foster, The House That Love Built (SteepleChase, 1982) Hugo Heredia, Mananita Pampera (Cote d'azur, 1976) Langston Hughes, Weary Blues (MGM, 1958) Tommy Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine (Time, 1960) Kai Winding and Curtis Fuller, Giant Bones '80 (Sonet, 1980) various artists, A Moon of Roses[11]

References

1. "Jazzlegenden Horace Parlan er død". Sn.dk. 25 February 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1911. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
3. Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (18 November 1999). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-19-972907-4. Retrieved October 3, 2021 – via Google Books.
4. "Horace Parlan, Jazz Pianist Who Overcame Disability, Dies at 86". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
5. "Horace Parlan, jazz pianist who overcame disability, dies at 86 - the Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
6. "Blue Note Records Catalog: 4100 series". jazzdisco. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomans. "Happy Frame of Mind: Horace Parlan". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
8. Yanow, Scott. "Swing Low: Archie Shepp". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
9. "Horace Parlan Discography". jazzdisco. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
10. "Horace Parlan by Horace Parlan". loc.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
11. "A Moon Of Roses (1994, CD)". Discogs.com. 1994. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

External links

• BBC World Service - A Portrait of Horace Parlan
• Horace Parlan Hardbop Homepage
• Biography at AllMusic
• Article at All About Jazz
• Soul Note Catalogue
• Horace Parlan -Pittsburgh Music History