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Horace Silver (1928) was the main hard-bop pianist, influenced by both African and
gospel music. On his first major recording,
Trio (november 1953), with Art Blakey on drums and several bassists,
he already displayed the essence of his exuberant style with
his own compositions Safari (october 1952),
Quicksilver, Horoscope (october 1952), Opus De Funk (november 1953).
The latter also gave a name ("funky") ("funky") to his solid beat influenced by gospel and rhythm'n'blues.
He formed the quintet with Art Blakey that started the bebop revolution
by recording
Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, to which
Silver contributed most of the tracks, particularly
the hard-driving, gospel-ish The Preacher (february 1955), but also
Doodlin' and Room 608 (both november 1954),
as well as Nica's Dream (april 1956), containing his catchy, propulsive, Latin-tinged twelve-minute Nica's Dream.
Then he launched is own quintet
of piano, trumpet, tenor saxophone, bass and drums,
to concentrate on what he liked: a bluesy piano style and a sound that
borrowed as much from rhythm'n'blues as from jazz.
The foundations of the line-up of Silver's Blue (july 1956) was the Jazz
Messengers without Blakey, jamming fluently in
Shootin' Out and Silver's Blue.
The line-up evolved via
Six Pieces of Silver (november 1956), containing Senor Blues (that became a hit) and featuring tenor saxophonist Junior Cook,
Stylings of Silver (may 1957), featuring Art Farmer on trumpet and Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, and containing Home Cookin' and Metamorphosis,
Further Explorations (january 1958), featuring Clifford Jordan on tenor sax and
containing the eleven-minute jam Moon Rays, Safari and
Melancholy Mood,
Finger Poppin' (january 1959), that established the partnership between
trumpeter Blue Mitchell and tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, and contained
Swingin' the Samba, Juicy Lucy, Come on Home and
Cookin' at the Continental.
Blowin' the Blues Away (september 1959) contained another exotic number,
Baghdad Blues, and a wide stylistic excursus, from the
ballad Peace to the driving Break City to the gospel-y Sister Sadie.
The playing got even tighter on subsequent releases, that boasted
the twelve-minute jam Sayonara Blues, off Tokyo Blues (july 1962),
and
the nine-minute jam Silver's Serenade, off Silver's Serenade (may 1963).
This quintet peaked on the exotic Song For My Father (october 1964), that included
Calcutta Cutie,
but the most famous tracks from that album,
the bossanova Song For My Father (his signature tune), Que Pasa
and The Natives Are Restless, were already recorded by
a new quintet with Joe Henderson on tenor sax.
Woody Shaw on trumpet (who was much more compromised with the avantgarde than
previous Silver members) and James "J.J." Johnson on trombone featured on
The Cape Verdean Blues (october 1965), perhaps Silver's best album,
that further enhanced his fusion of soul and Latin music while
adopting a more experimental stance, especially in The Cape Verdean Blues, but also in Nutville, Bonita, The African Queen, the
waltzing Pretty Eyes.
Unfortunately, The Jody Grind (november 1966), with Shaw, Tyrone Washington on tenor sax and James Spaulding on alto sax (and flute), did not continue in that
experimental direction but retreated back to Silver's trademark party-oriented
funk-soul-jazz with The Jody Grind, Mexican Hip Dance and the
aggressive Grease Peace.
Serenade to a Soul Sister (march 1968), with new line-up fronted by
trumpeter Charles Tolliver, was even more upbeat, indulging in the funk
hyperdrive of Psychedelic Sally, the exotic grooves of
Rain Dance and Jungle Juice and the Serenade to a Soul Sister.
Trumpeter Randy Brecker and drummer Billy Cobham on drums joined for
You Gotta Take A Little Love (january 1969),
but Silver's music was now rather outdated. In 1970 he inaugurated a series
of recordings under the moniker "The United States Of Mind" that included
his own spiritual lyrics. The decade ended with a double LP that summarized
the whole concept:
The Music of the Spheres (december 1979), a five-movement suite for
his quintet (featuring fluegelhornist Tom Harrell and tenor saxophonist Larry Schneider), a string orchestra, harp and four vocalists.
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