SILVER SURVEY
Horace Silver came into prominence in the early fifties. But this isn’t a history, rather a registration of feeling concerning Silver’s recordings. I am assuming that 1.) you’re hip to Silver, or at least vaguely aware that he’s a jazz pianist and 2.) when you’re faced with the Bluenote backlog of Silver recordings you’ll trust me a little in helping you pick the best.
Silver’s music is a good introduction to jazz—imaginative, funky piano surrounded by solid hard post-bop improvizations.
In surveying. Horace’s history with Bluenote, I have made no effort to consider the records in the context of the time during which they were released (the first recordings were in ‘53-‘54, and each record could be considered to be recorded approximately a year later than the previous one). The music is taken as it sounds to the ear now, today.
The first recordings for Bluenote are definitely dated, Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (BLP-1518) and Horace Silver Trio with Art Blakely - Sabu (BLP-1520) the songs are generally more interesting than the solos, most notable “The Preacher” and “Doodlin’’, both of which have become jazz standards. The dated-ness could be attributed to poor recording technique (the bass is almost non-existent at times and drummer Blakely sounds like he’s playing a garbage can) and the fact the sessions never caught fire—possibly the musicians hadn’t adjusted to recording in a studio. Blakely’s “A Night at Birdland” (BLP-15 21), recorded around the same time (1954), only in live performance, contains much more exciting piano work by Silver.