Frank-ly Speaking

AMG Review of Frank-ly Speaking

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

This 1977 session in the United States marked a rare return to his native land for pianist Horace Parlan, where he reunited with old friends and made his first recording with another veteran. Featuring alto saxophonist Frank Strozier, bassist Lisle Atkinson, drummer Al Harewood, and ex-Basie tenor saxophonist Frank Foster (working with Parlan for the first time), the band benefited from playing a one-nighter and holding an afternoon rehearsal rather than going into the studio cold. Most of the selections played on this date were composed by fellow expatriates, including Thad Jones, Idrees Sulieman, and Duke Jordan, along with Parlan's buoyant hard bop vehicle "Frank-ly Speaking." The sauntering rendition of Jones' "Quietude," Atkinson's intricate "Hit It," and an extended workout of Sulieman's "Chocolate Cadillac" are also among the session's highlights, while the playing is inspired throughout the date by everyone involved.