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. Aided by a first-rate quintet -- trumpeter
Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist
Booker Ervin, guitarist
Grant Green, bassist
Butch Warren, drummer
Billy Higgins --
Parlan produces a provocative set that is grounded in soul and blues but stretches out into challenging improvisations. None of the musicians completely embrace the avant-garde, but there are shifting tonal textures and unpredictable turns in the solos which have been previously unheard in
Parlan's music. Perhaps that's the reason why
Happy Frame of Mind sat unissued in Blue Note's vaults until 1976, when it was released as part of a double-record
Booker Ervin set, but the fact of the matter is, it's one of
Parlan's most successful efforts, finding the perfect middle ground between accessible, entertaining jazz and more adventurous music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine