Perfection: Horace Parlan - Up & Down

In June 1961, pianist Harlan Parlan recorded the album Up & Down for Blue Note. On the session were Parlan (p), Booker Ervin (ts), Grant Green (g), George Tucker (b) and Al Harewood (d).

The title track was composed by Parlan, who on this LP plays superbly. As Leonard Feather wrote in his liner note...

“Up & Down," Horace's title number for the album, is so named because of the melodic vacillation of the theme between G and A-flat. At this demanding tempo, Horace demonstrates brilliantly his ability to feed the soloist with an aggressively swinging style of comping. Booker reminds us, in his solos, that basally he comes out of two major traditions, Bird and Prez [Charlie Parker and Lester Young]. The melodic continuity of his work is as important as his keen rhythmic sense. You aways know where he stadns in relation o the best; this is a characteritic sometimes looking in new saxohonists who reach so for complex harnonic effects that the end result fails to swing. 

The track is perfect. Fans of Harewood will be able to hear clearly him on bass. Ervin has a strong, hoarse tone on the saxophone and Green's guitar swings and dances on his solo. Parlan had an unusual playing style, a result of the partial crippling of his right hand after being stricken by polio as a child. For my last post on Parlan, go here.

Here's Horace Parlan's Up & Down...