Artist: Phil Parnell
Title: Dear Jo
Cat Number: SLAMCD227
Year released: 1996
Format: CD & all digital platforms
Barcode: 5028386022725
Quartet album led by US pianist Phil Parnell and featuring UK bass legend Dave Green, drummer Johnny Vidacovich and percussionist Paul Clarvis, performing a mixture of originals by Parnell plus standards.
Recorded at Intimate Studios, London, 1-3 October 1996.
Phil Parnell: piano
Dave Green: double bass
Paul Clarvis: percussion
Johnny Vidacovich: drums
“Jazz piano from New Orleans makes one expect rolling rhythms, punched out with a declamatory touch and lots of bluesy overtones. Phil Parnell studied with modern piano master, Ellis Marsalis, and carried on at Berklee College. But his album, Dear Jo, doesn’t neglect the city’s more characteristic sounds, even down to a version of Doctor Jazz, written by King Oliver and immortalised by Jelly Roll Morton.” – The Guardian
“A former pupil of Ellis Marsalis and a disciple of the Bobby Timmons/Billy Taylor gospel-groove school experienced in the myriad musics New Orleans can offer, Parnell gathers all this together on compelling originals and thoughtful standards. Clear keyboard ideas and sympathetic work from a quartet including bassist Dave Green result in a satisfying collection of big swinging piano jazz.” – Rob Adams, The Herald