Horace Parlan

Horace Parlan overcame physical disability and thrived as a pianist despite it. His right hand was partially disabled by polio in his childhood, but Parlan made frenetic, highly rhythmic right-hand phrases part of his characteristic style, contrasting them with striking left-hand chords. He also infused blues and R&B influences into his style, playing in a stark, sometimes somber fashion. Parlan always cited <a href="spotify:artist:6gc6oo3u2f7SqTd4mhe81O">Ahmad Jamal</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:570vCzcespB48HIQyTbDO6">Bud Powell</a> as prime influences. He began playing in R&B bands during the '50s, joining <a href="spotify:artist:1W8TbFzNS15VwsempfY12H">Charles Mingus</a>' group from 1957 to 1959 following a move from Pittsburgh to New York. <a href="spotify:artist:1W8TbFzNS15VwsempfY12H">Mingus</a> aided his career enormously, both through his recordings and his influence. Parlan played with <a href="spotify:artist:3ZppcUE7tHnE6SzUR4ipSy">Booker Ervin</a> in 1960 and 1961, then in the <a href="spotify:artist:0gNn3uUyIEErdQthThI51i">Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis</a>-<a href="spotify:artist:52cM6vrM4MJ8g4H7Ibo5fZ">Johnny Griffin</a> quintet in 1962. Parlan played with <a href="spotify:artist:7De2eIqeHTw091YeAkkYXV">Rahsaan Roland Kirk</a> from 1963 to 1966, and had a strong series of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Blue+Note%22">Blue Note</a> recordings in the '60s. He left America for Copenhagen in 1973, and gained international recognition for some stunning albums on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SteepleChase%22">SteepleChase</a>, including a pair of superb duet sessions with <a href="spotify:artist:7C2DSqaNkh0w77O5Jz1FKh">Archie Shepp</a>. He also recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:3NUsiT2JSyaWAnWaXxDzhQ">Dexter Gordon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:37qczsM1eZwCtxy0U5n0fk">Red Mitchell</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1UBOhgHqPdFDiDW3qF1y1d">Frank Foster</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2o9yy7JZaNONL55k3AtBKU">Michal Urbaniak</a>, and recorded extensively for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Enja%22">Enja</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Timeless%22">Timeless</a>. He died in Denmark in February 2017 at the age of 86. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi