Horace Parlan's debut album for Blue Note,
Movin' and Groovin', is a thoroughly impressive affair, establishing
Parlan as a distinctive hard bop stylist. Working with bassist
Sam Jones and drummer
Al Harewood,
Parlan steals the show, playing hard-driving, bluesy bop and lyrical ballads. If it weren't for the inventive chord voicings and percussive right-hand attack, it would be impossible to tell that he was missing two fingers on his right hand, since his playing is remarkably agile and fluid.
Parlan sounds vital on swinging blues, slow ballads, and straight-ahead bop, and
Jones and
Harewood provide appropriately empathetic support on this collection of standards, blues, bop, jazz, and originals. Everything swings, no matter the tempo, and the end result is a fine debut from a distinctive pianist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine