Ｏrace Parlan (January 19, 1931, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – February 23, 2017, Korsør, Denmark) was an American hard bop and post-bop pianist and composer. He was known for his contributions to the Charles Mingus recordings Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots. 　　Early life 　　In his birth year, Parlan was stricken with polio, resulting in the partial crippling of his right hand. The handicap, though, contributed to his development of a particularly "pungent" left-hand chord voicing style, while comping with highly rhythmic phrases with the right. 　　Later life and career 　　Between 1952 and 1957, he worked in Washington DC with Sonny Stitt and then spent two years with Mingus' Jazz Workshop. In 1973, Parlan moved to Copenhagen, Denmark. He later settled in the small village of Rude in southern Zealand. In 1974 he completed a State Department tour of Africa with Hal Singer. 　　His later work, such as a series of duos with the tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, included the album Goin' Home, was steeped in gospel music.Parlan received the 2000 Ben Webster Prize awarded by the Ben Webster Foundation.