Horace Parlan

• Name — Horace Parlan • Born — 19 January 1931 • Birthplace — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Died — 23 February 2017 • Place of death — Næstved, Zealand, Denmark • Genre — * Bebop • avant-garde jazz • post-bop • third stream • Occupation — Musician, composer • Instrument — Piano • Label — Blue Note, SteepleChase

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

• Illustration — Parlan at Lennie's on the Turnpike, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1964 Between 1952 and 1957, he worked in Washington, D.C., with Sonny Stitt, then spent two years with Mingus's Jazz Workshop ensemble. 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. His later work, such as a series of duos with the tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, included the album Goin' Home (1977), steeped in gospel music. Parlan received the Ben Webster Prize in 2000, awarded by the Ben Webster Foundation. He died at a nursing home in Næstved, Denmark, at the age of 86. He had been suffering from multiple ailments, including diabetes and failing eyesight.

• Recording date — Title — Label — Release year — 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 • 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 saxophone), Klavs Hovman (bass), Massimo De Majo (drums) • 1987-05 — Duo Reunion — L+R — 1987 — Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone) • 1988-01 — Keep Your Hands Wide Open — Olufsen — 1988 — Most tracks duo, with Soren S. Eriksen (alto saxophone); one track trio, with Thomas Helmig (vocals) added • 1991-09 — Swing Low — Plainisphare — 1993 — Duo, co-led with Archie Shepp (tenor sax, alto saxophone, vocals); in concert • 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 — 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:

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