Horace Parlan: Spur of the Moment

This fine recording leans toward the bluesy side of the Blue Note ’60s catalog, but there is nothing commercial in its approach. The date is a real pleasure, the kind of release that can get lost in the shuffle among great recordings of its day but would be a masterpiece by contemporary standards. Tommy and Stanley Turrentine share the front, and while most readers will know the latter’s explemplary tenor work, his brother didn’t record much that I know of. In using him for his Fire Music date, Archie Shepp compared his tone to Fats Navarro’s, and indeed his trumpet sound is one the very best in modern jazz, so good he doesn’t even need ideas-though his best solos here are gems. Stanley can craft a solo, too, but again, he plays with such authority that even melody statements are a meal in themselves. The rhythm team of Parlan, George Tucker and Al Harewood is in perfect sync, reflecting steady work together in Lou Donaldson’s group. The material is solid hard-bop writing and fans of the genre will like this one-it has real personality.