Blue Note
Release Date: June 18th 1961
Re-release date: February 10th 2009
Availabilty: CD, MP3 download
Like many albums by Horace Parlan, "Up & Down" has not been available on CD or MP3 until the release of this RVG remaster.
The rhythm section - Horace Parlan (piano), George Tucker (bass) and Al Harewood (drums) – was the house band at Minton's in Harlem in the early 60's and often appeared on Blue Note recordings at the time. Their complete understanding of each other's moves lies at the core of the driving undercurrent of this music with Al Harewood's drumming - as on Bobby Hutcherson's "The Kicker" – outstanding.
Add to this two great performances by Grant Green on guitar and Booker Ervin on tenor saxophone and you have the almost perfect hard bop album, infectious, memorable, bluesy, danceable.
The Ervin Booker composition "The Book's Beat", Horace Parlan's "Up & Down", George Tucker's "Fugee" and Grant Green's "The Other Side of Town" open the album in swinging, uncompromising style.
Babs Gonzalez's ballad "Lonely One" offers a contemplative break before the album closer Tommy Turrentine's "Light Blue" returns the band to uplifting hard bop.
A fine album featuring some of the best jazz to emerge from Blue Note in the early sixties.
To preview and purchase " Up & Down" on CD at amazon:
amazon.com CD
To preview and purchase "Up & Down" on MP3 at amazon:
amazon MP3
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