Horace Parlan RIP [19 Jan 1931 – 23 Feb 2017]
In 1931, Horace Parlan was left on the steps of a Pittsburgh orphanage. A case of polio contracted at the age of five left him only able to use two fingers on his right hand. He grew up playing jazz piano, and went to the clubs to jam with the big names. They told him to go away and get better. He did. Eventually, Charles Mingus said he could stay, which led to a distinguished career playing with the likes of Archie Shepp and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Horace moved to Denmark in the early 70s and now lives in a care home near the sea. He can no longer walk, is blind and was recently widowed. Still, Archie Shepp calls from Paris and asks what he’s had for lunch. He sees Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis in his dreams. In the last one Eddie was working as a steward on a jumbo jet. He doesn’t know why. Nor did Eddie. On special days, Horace’s wheelchair is lifted into Copenhagen’s main jazz club and people come to pay homage.
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