Horace Parlan always had an original style on piano. Since polio partly paralyzed his right hand, he developed a chordal left hand style that was full of soul, swing and his melodic approach. He was a major part of the groups of Charles Mingus, Lou Donaldson and Eddie Lockjaw Davis-Johnny Griffin before leading his own trios.

He recorded seven Blue Note albums as a leader but was not heard as a leader on records again after 1963's Happy Frame Of Mind for a full decade. This gem of an album, which went unissued until 1976, is one of Parlan's greatest recordings, a particularly inventive date that teams him in a sextet with Booker Ervin, Johnny Coles and Grant Green. While the music is soulful and swinging, it is also quite adventurous with many surprising moments.

Parlan stretches himself and his sidemen, playing heated solos on the colorful material that rank with some of the finest playing of his career. Horace Parlan collectors should consider Happy Frame Of Mind to be essential.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.


See more Horace Parlan records here.