Jazz

Horace Silver - Song for My Father (1965)

2009-10-18T10:44:44Z

Horace Silver - Song for My Father (1965)


1. Song for My Father - 7:15 
2. The Natives Are Restless Tonight - 6:08 
3. Calcutta Cutie - 8:28 
4. Que Pasa - 7:45 
5. The Kicker - 5:24 
6. Lonely Woman - 7:03

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5

    Horace Silver — piano
    Carmell Jones — trumpet
    Joe Henderson — tenor saxophone
    Teddy Smith — bass
    Roger Humphries — drums

Tracks 3, 6-10

    Horace Silver — piano
    Blue Mitchell — trumpet exc. tracks 6, 8
    Junior Cook — tenor saxophone exc. tracks 6, 8
    Gene Taylor — bass
    Roy Brooks — drums

One of Blue Note's greatest mainstream hard bop dates, Song for My Father is Horace Silver's signature LP and the peak of a discography already studded with classics. Silver was always a master at balancing jumping rhythms with complex harmonies for a unique blend of earthiness and sophistication, and Song for My Father has perhaps the most sophisticated air of all his albums. Part of the reason is the faintly exotic tint that comes from Silver's flowering fascination with rhythms and modes from overseas -- the bossa nova beat of the classic "Song for My Father," for example, or the Eastern-flavored theme of "Calcutta Cutie," or the tropical-sounding rhythms of "Que Pasa?" Subtle touches like these alter Silver's core sound just enough to bring out its hidden class, which is why the album has become such a favorite source of upscale ambience. Song for My Father was actually far less focused in its origins than the typical Silver project; it dates from the period when Silver was disbanding his classic quintet and assembling a new group, and it features performances from both bands. Still, it hangs together remarkably well, and Silver's writing is at its tightest and catchiest. The title cut became Silver's best-known composition, partly because it provided the musical basis for jazz-rock group Steely Dan's biggest pop hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Another hard bop standard is introduced here in the lone non-Silver tune, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's "The Kicker," covered often for the challenge of its stuttering phrases and intricate rhythms. Yet somehow it comes off as warm and inviting as the rest of the album, which is necessary for all jazz collections -- mainstream hard bop rarely comes as good as Song for My Father. ---Steve Huey, Rovi

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Horace Silver - The Hardbop Grandpop (1996)

2016-02-08T17:21:26Z

Horace Silver - The Hardbop Grandpop (1996)


01. I Want You
02. The Hippest Cat In Hollywood
03. Gratitude
04. Hawkin'
05. I Got The Blues In Santa Cruz
06. We've Got Silver At Six
07. The Hardbop Grandpop
08. The Lady From Johannesburg
09. Serenade To A Teakettle
10. Diggin' On Dexter

Horace Silver (piano)
Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone)
Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone)
Claudio Roditi (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Steve Turre (trombone)
Ron Carter (bass)
Lewis Nash (drums)

Pianist Horace Silver's 1996 CD introduced ten new compositions and, although none of the originals will probably become standards, they are consistently catchy, full of the infectious Silver personality and very viable vehicles for improvisation. The instrumental set matches Silver with quite an all-star group comprised of trumpeter Claudio Roditi, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker (an alumnus), trombonist Steve Turre, baritonist Ronnie Cuber, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash. Most of the selections feature solo space for one or two of the horn players (all get their spots), and the results live up to the great potential. One of Horace Silver's finest recordings in his post-Blue Note era. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

With musicians, and artists generally, there's a tendency to think the best work is the earliest.

It's usually true. Paul McCartney was never better than when he recorded with the Beatles. Chuck Berry's best work was the early hits like "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven." Tom Wolfe hasn't written anything as good as "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." So it is, too, with jazz musicians. Dizzy Gillespie's seminal work came in the 1940s and the birth of bebop. Chick Corea, while still solid and dependable, did his best work with Return to Forever.

There are exceptions, of course. Miles Davis constantly reinvented himself over a long period of years. Duke Ellington was a terrific composer and leader until the day he died. And so, consider Horace Silver.

Early in my jazz education, I found a 2-CD set called A Night at Birdland. It was recorded in 1954 by a fabulous quintet led by Art Blakey. Horace Silver was the pianist, only 26 years old, and he wasn't even the best musician in the group, or even second-best, and maybe not even third-best. There was Blakey on drums, the sensational Clifford Brown on trumpet, and the underrated Lou Donaldson on sax.

This is the very definition of hard bop. It's a 5-star ensemble playing at the peak of its power. Every song is masterful. The ballads are tender and poignant. The bop is breakneck and invigorating. Every one of the musicians is at the top of his game. It's likely Blakely never recorded a better live set—and that's saying something. It's not a Horace Silver record, per se. Silver was still young and on the cusp of fame. But he's brilliant. If you buy just one Horace Silver CD, this would be my pick.

Fast forward 42 years to 1996. Horace Silver was 68 and past his prime. A critic tagged him "the hard bop grandpop." Silver liked the name so much, he used it as an album title. Following Blakey's lead, he surrounded himself with younger musicians, notably four horn players, including Michael Brecker. And he wrote ten new songs.

I won't pretend that The Hard bop Grandpop was the Jazz Messengers reincarnated. But it's very good. It's probably better than a 68-year-old has any right sounding. The mood is different. It's not hard bop exactly, despite the title. There's more soul. The brass really takes the forefront. Silver takes his solos, and they are very good, but he mostly lets the younger guys shine. (Though Silver wrote corny lyrics for half of the songs, he wisely decided against using a singer. The CD is entirely instrumental, though he included the lyrics in the liner notes, for anyone who wants to follow along.) It includes tributes to Coleman Hawkins and Dexter Gordon and even a tune based on a teapot whistle. All of it is wonderful and lyrical and soulful.

No, it's not vintage Silver. It's not as good as the Blakey/Jazz Messenger stuff. So maybe it's only 4-star CD. With legends in late-career, you adjust your palette. This is enjoyable music. It's not fair to compare Paul McCartney in 2007 to Paul McCartney in 1968. It's the same in jazz. Even so, sometimes a lion in winter is still a majestic thing. ---Marc Davis, allaboutjazz.com

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Horace Silver Quintet – Six Pieces of Silver (1956)

2010-10-13T11:21:38Z

Horace Silver Quintet – Six Pieces of Silver (1956)


1. Cool Eyes
2. Shirl            play
3. Camouflage   play
4. Enchantment
5. Señor Blues
6. Virgo
7. For Heaven’s
8. Señor Blues ( alt 45 take 45 )
9. Tippin’
10. Senor Blues ( vocal ) .

Personnel :
Horace Silver - Piano
Gene Taylor - Bass
Doug Watkins - Bass
Louis Hayes - Drums, Vocal
Junior Cook - Sax Tenor
Hank Mobley - Sax Tenor
Donald Byrd - Trumpet

All six Silver originals are gems, including classics like "Senor Blues" and "Cool Eyes," and the ensemble playing throughout is outstanding, especially given the group's youthfulness—Silver is the elder statesman at twenty-eight; drummer Louis Hayes the youngest at nineteen. Silver's writing at this early point in his career is more solidly in the bebop camp than his later funk and soul efforts, but the blues, gospel, and Caribbean influences that are his trademarks are evident. His own playing is marvelously subtle, showing a clear debt to Powell and Monk, especially on slower numbers like "Enchantment" and the trio efforts "Shirl" and "For Heaven's Sake." Mobley's big, warm tenor is a particularly good fit with Silver's piano, and the young Donald Byrd shines on upbeat numbers like "Virgo." The rhythm section of Doug Watkins on bass and Hayes on drums provides excellent support throughout the session. The CD reissue, part of Blue Note's Connoisseur series, also includes the popular vocal version of "Senor Blues" by Bill Henderson.

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Horace Silver – Serenade To A Soul Sister (1968)

2010-10-23T15:28:04Z

Horace Silver – Serenade To A Soul Sister (1968)


01.Psychedelic Sally 7:12
02.Serenade to a Soul Sister 6:16
03.Rain Dance 6:19
04.Jungle Juice 6:44
05.Kindred Spirits 5:53
06.Next Time I Fall in Love 5:19        play

Horace Silver- Piano
Charles Tolliver- Trumpet
Stanley Turrentine- Tenor Sax (Tracks 1-3)
Bennie Maupin- Tenor Sax (Tracks 4-6)
Bob Cranshaw- Bass, electric Bass (Tracks 1-3)
John Williams- Bass (Tracks 4-6)
Mickey Roker- Drums (Tracks 1-3)
Billy Cobham- Drums (Tracks 4-6)

One of the last great Horace Silver albums for Blue Note, Serenade to a Soul Sister is also one of the pianist's most infectiously cheerful, good-humored outings. It was recorded at two separate early-1968 sessions with two mostly different quintets, both featuring trumpeter Charles Tolliver and alternating tenor saxophonists Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, bassists Bob Cranshaw and John Williams, and drummers Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham. (Williams and Cobham were making some of their first recorded appearances since exiting the military.) Silver's economical, rhythmic piano style had often been described as funky, but the fantastic opener "Psychedelic Sally" makes that connection more explicit and contemporary, featuring a jubilant horn theme and a funky bass riff that both smack of Memphis soul. (In fact, it's kind of a shame he didn't pursue this idea more.) Keeping the album's playful spirit going, "Rain Dance" is a campy American Indian-style theme, and "Jungle Juice" has a mysterious sort of exotic, tribal flavor. "Kindred Spirits" has a different, more ethereal sort of mystery, and "Serenade to a Soul Sister" is a warm, loose-swinging tribute. You'd never know this album was recorded in one of the most tumultuous years in American history, but as Silver says in the liner notes' indirect jab at the avant-garde, he simply didn't believe in allowing "politics, hatred, or anger" into his music. Whether you agree with that philosophy or not, it's hard to argue with musical results as joyous and tightly performed as Serenade to a Soul Sister. By Steve Huey.

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Horace Silver – That Healin’ Feelin’ (1970)

2010-10-21T11:43:07Z

Horace Silver – That Healin’ Feelin’ (1970)


A1. That Healin' Feelin'    
A2. The Happy Medium   
A3. The Show Has Begun  
A4. Love Vibrations   
A5. Peace                                              play
B1. Permit Me To Introduce You To Yourself   play
B2. Wipe Away The Evil    
B3. Nobody Knows  
B4. There's Much To Be Done

Personnel:
Bob Cranshaw, Jimmy Lewis - bass 
Drums- Idris Muhammad, Mickey Roker - drums 
Randy Brecker  - flugelhorn
Horace Silver – piano electric
George Coleman, Houston Person -  saxophone [tenor]
Randy Brecker - trumpet
Andy Bey, Gail Nelson, Jackie Verdell – vocals

Throughout those Blue Note years, Silver wrote many themed compositions, including Portuguese, African, Soul, Mexican, Japanese, Nitty Gritty-Hard Bop, Indian Metaphysics, Native American Indian, Silver N' Strings, Silver N' Wood, Silver N' Voices, Silver N' Brass and Silver N' Percussion. Some of this exquisite music was found on an early album as a leader, Six Pieces of Silver (1956) including "Seńor Blues," which later had lyrics sung by master vocalist Bill Henderson. Silver's early quintet was composed of Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Doug Watkins and Hank Mobley; "Come On Home," "Doodlin," "The Preacher," "Serenade to a Soul Sister," "Filthy McNasty," "The Gringo," "Mexican Hat Dance," "Tokyo Blues," (("The United States of Mind—The Healin' Feelin")) and "The Cape Verdean Blues" are all milestones that Silver says, thanks to God, have brought him lucrative royalties from their recordings by musicians throughout the years.

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