Horace Parlan - My Little Brown Book

Stunt 7112

Blame it on Bertrand Tavenier’s ‘Round Midnight or any other mythologizing bit of media: Expatriate jazz musicians still enjoy a healthy amount of manufactured mystique. Pianist Horace Parlan is among this celebrated cadre and has been for years. A resident of Denmark for decades, he’s quietly been composing and performing music in local clubs to adulatory audiences in a style that strays little from his work as leader and first call sideman in the 1950s and 60s. Recorded in the intimate company of altoist Christina von Bülow and bassist Jesper Lundgaard in Parlan’s home, the program is tilted heavily toward standards. A pair of Parlan originals slips right in beside familiar pieces by Strayhorn and Miles among others. Parlan’s approach is measured, more low flame simmer than blow torch bluster and complementary to the domestic surroundings. The absence of drums also aids in this regard, enhancing the chamber jazz elements of the instrumentation and giving von Bülow a springy, but uncluttered surface with which to etch her watercolor melodic lines. She rarely deviates too drastically from the themes, phrasing in a light aerated caresses that suggests an amalgam of Benny Carter and Bird.

Parlan’s fingers work in careful collusion and at times his patterns feel a shade too premeditated. Lundgaard anchors the bottom, amiable to the occasional solo slot, but seemingly just as happy to amble along beside his colleagues. Highlights of the set include an eloquent rendering of “Everything Happens to Me”, where the playfully pessimistic lyrics are virtually sung via von Bülow’s choruses, and a lengthy concluding stroll through Strayhorn’s beatific ballad “Lotus Blossom”. Parlan’s long since progressed past the point of proving himself. That palpable self-awareness and confidence makes for a performance refreshingly free of ego or agenda. These three are simply playing for the pure joy of it and that admirable, angst free incentive channels beautifully into the music. It also effectively dispels the aura ex-pat mystique surrounding Parlan’s person and reveals a man at peace with himself and his profession.

~ Derek Taylor