egroj world: Horace Parlan • Up & Down

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Horace Parlan • Up & Down

Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
By adding guitarist Grant Green and tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin to his standard rhythm section of bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood, pianist Horace Parlan opens up his sound and brings it closer to soul-jazz on Up and Down. Green's clean, graceful style meshes well with Parlan's relaxed technique, while Ervin's robust tone and virile attack provides a good contrast to the laid-back groove the rhythm section lays down. Stylistically, the music is balanced between hard bop and soul-jazz, which are tied together by the bluesy tint in the three soloists' playing. All of the six original compositions give the band room to stretch out and to not only show off their chops, but move the music somewhat away from generic conventions and find new territory. In other words, it finds Parlan at a peak, and in many ways, coming into his own as a pianist and a leader.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/up-down-mw0000556382

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Reseña
por Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Al añadir al guitarrista Grant Green y al saxofonista tenor Booker Ervin a su sección rítmica habitual formada por el bajista George Tucker y el batería Al Harewood, el pianista Horace Parlan abre su sonido y lo acerca al soul-jazz en Up and Down. El estilo limpio y elegante de Green encaja bien con la técnica relajada de Parlan, mientras que el tono robusto y el ataque viril de Ervin ofrecen un buen contraste con el ritmo relajado de la sección rítmica. Estilísticamente, la música está equilibrada entre el hard bop y el soul-jazz, unidos por el tinte bluesy de los tres solistas. Las seis composiciones originales dan a la banda espacio para estirarse y no sólo para mostrar sus habilidades, sino también para alejar un poco la música de las convenciones genéricas y encontrar nuevos territorios. En otras palabras, Parlan se encuentra en un momento álgido y, en muchos sentidos, en su mejor momento como pianista y líder.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/up-down-mw0000556382

Tracks:
1 - The Book's Beat

2 - Up And Down

3 - Fugee

4 - The Other Part Of Town

5 - Lonely One

6 - Light Blue

7 - Fugee (Alternate Take)

Credits:
    Bass – George Tucker
    Design [Cover] – Reid Miles
    Drums – Al Harewood
    Guitar – Grant Green
    Liner Notes – Leonard Feather
    Photography By [Cover, Liner] – Francis Wolff
    Piano – Horace Parlan
    Producer – Alfred Lion
    Recorded By, Remastered By [In 2008] – Rudy Van Gelder
    Reissue Producer – Michael Cuscuna
    Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin

Notes:
Originally recorded on June 18, 1961 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Track 7: bonus track, not part of original album
Tracks 1-6 originally issued in 1963 on Blue Note BST 84082.
Track 7 originally issued in 2000 on Mosaic MD5-197.

Label:    Blue Note – 50999 2 65137 2 0
Series:    RVG Edition
Country:    US
Released:    2009
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Hard Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/2574127-Horace-Parlan-Up-Down