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Leo Parker: Leo Parker: Rollin' With Leo – 1961
ByRollin' With Leo is a fitting epitaph for a forgotten saxman.

Would you still want to hear his music?
Listen anyway. Rollin' With Leo by baritone saxman

Leo Parker
saxophone, baritone1925 - 1962
Here's the back story: Leo Parker was essentially a swing master, with hints of R&B and bop. He played in big bands with folks like

Billy Eckstine
vocals1914 - 1993

Coleman Hawkins
saxophone, tenor1904 - 1969

Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
In February 1944, Parkerno relation to

Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
For years after, Parker was the quintessential sideman, walking back and forth between jazz and R&B. And then, in 1961, Blue Note offered him the chance to lead his own band. He did it very well, for exactly two records. He seemed on the verge of a musical breakthrough. And then he died at age 36 after years of drug abuse. End of story.
Except for this: Blue Note never released those 1961 recordings. They sat in the vaults for nearly 20 years. In death, Leo Parker remained obscure. Finally, in 1980, Blue Note released Leo Parker's only two albums as a leader. And guess what? They're really good.
Rollin' With Leo is the better and bluesier record. To my ears, the centerpiece is a tune called "Talkin' the Blues" a slow, draggy, romantic tune, full of smoke and darkness and swirling, rolling sadness. A lighter highlight: "Music Hall Beat"a 5-minute piece of happy swing by

Illinois Jacquet
saxophone, tenor1922 - 2004

Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
Why did this excellent record molder unreleased for nearly 20 years? The liner notes don't say, but I can guess. Leo Parker was dead and Blue Note had no incentive to promote him. Also, by the early '60s, swing was long gone and hard bop was on its way out. Rollin' With Leo would have been a perfect record for the 1950s, especially with a living, breathing bandleader. In any event, it's a terrific albumand a fitting epitaph for a forgotten saxman.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Availability: Easy to find
Cost: $4 used, $11 new
Tags
Leo Parker
My Blue Note Obsession
Marc Davis
Billy Eckstine
Coleman Hawkins
Dizzy Gillespie
Charlie Parker
Illinois Jacquet
Count Basie
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