Horace Parlan: Up And Down (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) 1LP

Blue Note, 1961

The bluesy and soulful pianist Horace Parlan is perhaps best known for his work with Charles Mingus on the bassist’s seminal 1959 albums Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots. That same year Parlan made his first Blue Note appearance on Lou Donaldson’s album The Time Is Right and in early-1960 he began leading his own sessions for the label with a run of six quintessential hard bop dates recorded over a prolific 16-month period. Following the trio albums Movin’ & Groovin’ and Us Three, Parlan expanded to a quintet for his classic Speakin’ My Piece, and in 1961 capped off his hot streak with the quintet album Up & Down. The 6-song set was anchored by Parlan’s trusty trio with bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood and featured the two new band members in guitarist and Blue Note stalwart Grant Green and brawny tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin. Opening with Ervin’s catchy, hard-swinging number “The Book’s Beat” the set’s other highlights include Parlan’s up-tempo title tune, Tucker’s soulful blues-waltz “Fugee,” Green’s swaggering blues “The Other Part of Town,” and the plaintive ballad “Lonely One” which was written by Babs Gonzales for Billie Holiday.