Happy Frame of Mind

Happy Frame of Mind is the seventh album by American jazz pianist Horace Parlan featuring performances recorded in 1963 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1986.^[1] The session was originally released under Booker Ervin's name in 1976 as part of the 2-LP set Back from the Gig and later released as originally intended. The album was first released on a digital support in 1995, on a now out-of-print CD featuring a 20-bit remastering.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "Happy Frame of Mind finds Horace Parlan breaking away from the soul-inflected hard bop that had become his trademark, moving his music into more adventurous, post-bop territory... it's one of Parlan's most successful efforts, finding the perfect middle ground between accessible, entertaining jazz and more adventurous music".^[2]

Track listing

1. "Home Is Africa" (Ronnie Boykins) - 6:14
2. "A Tune for Richard" (Booker Ervin) - 5:44
3. "Back from the Gig" (Parlan) - 5:58
4. "Dexi" (Johnny Coles) - 5:57
5. "Kucheza Blues" (Randy Weston) - 6:10
6. "Happy Frame of Mind" (Parlan) - 8:49

Personnel

• Horace Parlan - piano
• Johnny Coles - trumpet
• Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone
• Grant Green - guitar (#1-4, 6)
• Butch Warren - bass
• Billy Higgins - drums

References