Leo Parker - Rollin' With Leo (1961) [vinyl>flac]

Drugs and addictions defined most of Leo Parker's adult life, finally claiming it entirely in February of 1962 when he was only 36 years old. Only months earlier in 1961, in two sessions held on October 12 and October 20, Parker had played his heart out in what would have been his second album for Blue Note Records that year, and it had appeared that the baritone saxophonist was well on his way to a much-deserved career comeback. The sessions, however, weren't released until almost 20 years later. Rollin' with Leo, presented here in remastered form, is a wonderful portrait of this unsung but brilliant player, whose huge, sad, but almost impossibly strong tone always felt like it carried the world on its shoulders. The centerpiece of Rollin' with Leo is the fascinating "Talkin' the Blues," which unfolds, nearly themeless, like a late-night conversation, ebbing and flowing exactly the way a conversation does, with Parker's baritone swinging back to gather notes, but always moving and stretching forward, expanding the conversation until it seems like everything that could be said HAS been said. Parker's death was tragic because he had so much more to say, and that makes this fine set all that more of a treasure. ~ by Steve Leggett, AMG.

Blue Note Records, LT-1076, 1980
Recorded 12th (#A3,A4) and 20th (#A1,A2,B1-B4) October, 1961
At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:
Leo Parker - Baritone Saxophone
Dave Burns - Trumpet
Bill Swindell - Tenor Saxophone
Johnny Acea - Piano
Al Lucas - Bass (#A1,A2,B1-B4)
Stan Conover - Bass (#A3,A4)
Wilbert Hogan - Drums (#A1,A2,B1-B4)
Purnell Rice - Drums (#A3,A4)

Tracks:
A1. The Lion's Roar {Leo Parker} (4:51)
A2. Bad Girl {Stan Conover} (6:14)
A3. Rollin' With Leo {Leo Parker} (6:23)
A4. Music Hall Beat {Illinois Jacquet} (4:55)
B1. Jumpin' Leo {Leo Parker} (4:29)
B2. Talkin' The Blues {Leo Parker} (6:28)
B3. Stuffy {Coleman Hawkins, Livingstone, Evans} 5:39)
B4. Mad Lad Returns {Leo Parker} (4:35)

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Release Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Art Direction, Design - Bill Burks
Photography - Jed Wilcox
Liner Notes - Bob Porter