Silver's key albums from this period include Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1955), 6 Pieces of Silver (1956) and Blowin' the Blues Away (1959), which includes his famous "Sister Sadie". Along with Silver's own work, his bands often featured such rising jazz stars as saxophonists Junior Cook and Hank Mobley, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and drummer Louis Hayes. At the same time, his sharp use of repetition was funky even before that word could be used in polite company. His own piano playing easily shifted from aggressively percussive to lushly romantic within just a few bars. While Silver's compositions at this time featured surprising tempo shifts and a range of melodic ideas, they caught the attention of a wide audience. Gospel elements are particularly prominent on one of his biggest hits, "The Preacher", which Lion thought corny, but which Silver persuaded him to record. During his years with Blue Note, Silver helped to create the rhythmically forceful branch of jazz known as "hard bop", which combined elements of rhythm-and-blues and gospel music with jazz. One of the studio albums was the famous The Jazz Messengers.ĭuring Silver's time with Blakey he rarely recorded as a leader, but having split with him in 1956, he formed his own hard bop quintet, at first featuring the same lineup as Blakey's Jazz Messengers, with 18-year-old Louis Hayes subbing for Blakey.įrom 1956 onwards, Silver recorded exclusively for Blue Note, eventually becoming close to label boss Alfred Lion, who allowed him greater input on aspects of album production than was usual at the time. The drummer-pianist team lasted for four years during this time, Silver and Blakey recorded at Birdland (A Night at Birdland, Blue Note) with Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson, at the Bohemia with Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley, and finally - in the studios. In 19 he recorded three sessions with his own trio, featuring Blakey on drums and Gene Ramey, Curly Russell and Percy Heath subsequently taking up the bass. He moved to New York, where he teamed with Art Blakey. He was discovered in a Hartford, Connecticut club by saxophonist Stan Getz. Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva was born to a Cape Verdean father of mixed Portuguese-black descent and a mother of Irish and African descent in Norwalk, Connecticut. His playing was highly influenced by the style of Bud Powell. Silver began his career as a saxophonist, but later switched to piano. Silver was influenced by a wide range of musical styles, notably gospel music, African music, and Latin American music. He is known for his distinctive humorous and funky playing style, and for his pioneering contributions to hard bop. Horace Silver (SeptemJune 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
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