Voyage of Discovery is a rare opportunity to hear Horace Parlan playing solo piano, recorded over two sessions in early 1999. Parlan has plenty of surprises in store, including very deliberate takes of Charlie Parker's "Parker's Mood" and Billy Strayhorn's poignant "Blood Count" (written as he lay dying of cancer). His bluesy, slowly savored take of the traditional favorite "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" is very refreshing, as is his thoughtful approach to the spiritual "Deep River." He also enjoys delving into pieces from ...
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Voyage of Discovery is a rare opportunity to hear Horace Parlan playing solo piano, recorded over two sessions in early 1999. Parlan has plenty of surprises in store, including very deliberate takes of Charlie Parker's "Parker's Mood" and Billy Strayhorn's poignant "Blood Count" (written as he lay dying of cancer). His bluesy, slowly savored take of the traditional favorite "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" is very refreshing, as is his thoughtful approach to the spiritual "Deep River." He also enjoys delving into pieces from the '30s and '40s, offering a humorous yet very lyrical arrangement of "Two Sleepy People" and a loping "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Parlan had previously recorded with saxophonist Archie Shepp and took a liking to his ballad "Déjà Vu," so he decided to tackle it solo on this occasion. A lush, thoughtful performance of Duke Ellington's infrequently recorded "Melancholia" closes this relaxing solo CD. One oddity is that the second track seems to start with an aborted take of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," followed by a few seconds of silence, then switches to Parlan's "Broken Promises," evidently an editing error that was missed before the CD was mastered. ~ Ken Dryden, Rovi
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