Horace SILVER – Rockin’ With Rachmaninoff 1991

Horace SILVER – Rockin’ With Rachmaninoff 1991

Jazz

Rockin' with Rachmaninoff is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver, recorded in 1991 and finally released on the Bop City label in 2003, featuring performances by Silver with Michael Mossman, Bob Summers, Ricky Woodard, Ralph Bowen, Doug Webb, Andy Martin, Bob McChesney, Bob Maize, and Carl Burnett, with vocals by Andy Bey. The Allmusic review by Ken Dryden awarded the album 4 stars and states "Horace Silver's Rockin' With Rachmaninoff was originally conceived as a stage musical, complete with singers, dancers, musicians, and a narrator to tell the story of the composer's idea of Duke Ellington introducing Sergei Rachmaninoff to all the jazz greats in heaven... If this CD is any indication as to the quality of Horace Silver's short-lived musical, it must have been one hell of a show".
**
Inspired by a dream and conceived as a stage musical that ran for three nights in Hollywood in 1991, the jazz suite Rockin’ with Rachmaninoff has finally reached listeners in CD form. For various reasons, piano great Horace Silver kept these twelve tracks on the shelf for over a decade. They find “the hard bop grandpop” in excellent form, backed by a strong cast of players: Michael Mossman on trumpet, Rickey Woodard, Ralph Bowen and Doug Webb on tenors, Andy Martin and Bob McChesney on trombones, Bob Maize on bass and Carl Burnett on drums. Andy Bey, a longtime Silver band member, appears on four cuts in strong voice (this was several years prior to his much-vaunted comeback). Vocalist Dawn Burnett delivers the seductive melody of “Satchmo’s Song,” tears it up on the brisk gospel number “Sunday Mornin’ Prayer Meetin’,” and duets with Bey on the closing title track. The lyrics to these pieces are less than stellar; perhaps they lose something in the transition from stage to studio.
The best thing about this release is that it brought Horace Silver to New York last month for a week at the Blue Note. Pianistically, the 75-year-old leader may have lost a little steam since 1991, but he wrung the very best out of tenors Eric Alexander and Ray McMorrin, trombonists Conrad Herwig and Steve Davis, bassist John Webber, drummer Joe Farnsworth and trumpeter Mossman, the only holdover from the studio session. Silver’s aesthetic remains distinctive and evergreen, and it was well served by these powerful, elegant five horn arrangements and this driving, old school New York rhythm section.

Beautifully recorded, the album sheds light on all sides of Silver’s writing personality, from the lilting waltz of “Satchmo’s Song” (as memorable a tune as he’s ever written), to the intervallic nuances of “A Ballad for Hawk,” to the easygoing grooves of “Rocky’s Overture” and “Monkeyin’ Around with Monk,” to the classic Silverian minor-key grooves of “Rocky Meets the Duke” and “Hallelujah To Ya.”
By David Adler. AAJ.
**
Horace Silver’s Rockin’ With Rachmaninoff was originally conceived as a stage musical,
complete with singers, dancers, musicians, and a narrator to tell the story of the
composer’s idea of Duke Ellington introducing Sergei Rachmaninoff to all the jazz greats in
heaven. Though it was only performed a few times during a short run in 1989 at the
Barnesdale Theatre in Hollywood, Silver had the foresight to record selections from it two
years later, though it would be a dozen additional years before this music became available
commercially, released by Bop City. “Rocky’s Overture” is a solid opener, featuring the
leader and trombonist Andy Martin, while “Rocky Meets the Duke” is a blend of Silver’s
readily identifiable style of hard bop with the swinging feeling of Ellington. “Satchmo’s Song”
is a warm waltz sung with gusto by Dawn Burnett, followed by a spirited Michael Mossman
trumpet solo. Andy Bey, a favorite of numerous musicians, is featured in several selections,
but pays a warm tribute to tenor sax great Coleman Hawkins in “A Ballad for Hawk.”
Although it is an instrumental, there’s no missing the spiritual influence in the driving
“Hallelujah to Ya,” which has brilliant solos by tenor saxophonist Rickey Woodard and
Mossman, as well as the composer. If this CD is any indication as to the quality of
Horace Silver’s short-lived musical, it must have been one hell of a show;
too bad it wasn’t videotaped.
By Ken Dryden. AMG.
**
Horace Silver- Piano
Doug Webb- Tenor Sax
Bob Summers- Trumpet
Andy Martin- Trombone
Bob McChesney- Trombone
Bob Maize- Bass
Carl Burnett- Drums
Andy Bey- Vocals (1,5,6,9,11)
Rickey Woodard- Tenor Sax (2,6-8,11)
Michael Mossman-) Trumpet (3,4,8
Dawn Burnett- Vocals (3,7,11)
Ralph Bowen- Tenor Sax (6,11)
**
01. Rocky’s Overture 5:39
02. Rocky Meets the Duke 6:09
03. Satchmo’s Song 7:16
04. Monkeyin’ Around With Monk 5:42
05. Ballad for Hawk 5:51
06. Skunky Funky Blues 6:51
07. Sunday Mornin’ Prayer Meetin’ 5:03
08. Hallelujah to Ya 5:11
09. Righteous Rumba 6:23
10. Lavender Love 5:29
11. Rockin’ With Rachmaninoff 4:31
**

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Horace SILVER Quintet - Jazz Has a Sense of Humor 1999

Horace SILVER Quintet - Jazz Has a Sense of Humor 1999

Jazz

Listening to any new release by Horace Silver is a lot like hearing your favourite comedian tell a joke for the umpteenth time — you know the punch line, but you laugh anyway! Since he left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1956, Silver has written and produced a number of classic tunes that have become jazz standards. Over the years his famous quintets have always featured dynamite trumpet/tenor tandems — Blue Mitchell /Junior Cook, Woody Shaw/Joe Henderson and the Brecker Brothers—and this CD is no exception. Jazz Has A Sense Of Humor is highlighted by the strong solo work of Ryan Kisor (trumpet) and Jimmy Greene (tenor/soprano). These two "young lions" energize Silver's nine original compositions. Their enthusiasm seems to have spilled over to their leader who, after experiencing some health problems over the past few years, appears to be back in top form. The program, which contains such impishly titled offerings as I Love Annie's Fanny, exhibit all of Silver's trademark influences—R&B, soul and funky jazz. Silver's best album in years.
By John Sharpe.
**
As corporate takeover games morph the old Impulse! imprimatur into Verve, and the major's relentless publicity machines posture this as "Horace Silver's Verve debut!" we must avoid rampant sarcasm and see it as Horace suggests, remembering that jazz has a sense of humor. And who better to deliver that timeless message than the man who gave us such soulful silliness as "Psychedelic Sally," the saga of "Filthy McNasty" and "Dufus Rufus," taking us all the way to "Nutville," after we quaffed "Too Much Sake."

This time out he leaves us laughin' and swingin' courtesy of "The Mama Suite (Not Enough Mama, Too Much Mama, Just Right Mama). " Humor has always been part of the Horace Silver alchemy-"Philley Millie" indeed-generally delivered by a quintet, which in this case is the all-new and potent lineup of Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Jimmy Green on saxes, John Webber on bass, and drummer Willie Jones lll. Guaranteed, as always, to move the feet and bring a smile to the face.
By Willard Jenkins.
**
Don't let this disc's title or tunes with names like "I Love Annie's Fanny" mislead you into thinking the venerable Horace Silver has put out a novelty record. What we have here is some superb '60s-era soul-jazz composed and arranged by the originator of that genre. Horace, much like Art Blakey, has found some talented young jazzers and schooled them in his music. Trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene play with energy and skill, obviously influenced by the hard-boppers of Silver's generation. With its hip, storytelling heads and stabbing piano rhythms, this music would have sounded just right in 1959, but given Horace Silver's presence, it's not a mere retro-jazz album; rather, it's a continuation of Silver's musical vision, one that has always melded funky rhythms and the bop vernacular into a tasty, accessible whole.
By Wally Shoup.
**
This is something of a return to classic Horace Silver form. The tunes are crisp, the group sounds like a working band, and Silver's piano envelopes the whole - shaping, steering, mining those grooves he first discovered years ago. The two-horn front line is formulaic bop and post-bop, of course, but in Silver's hands, there is a coherence and order that is missing in the work of most who attempt these styles today. With Silver's groups, one always senses a big band reduced to its fundamentals, illuminated and sparked by the leader's structural riffs. That's what we hear on this CD, and though no new ground is broken, for many Silver fans, that is just fine. A nice range of materials is offered up, centered by "The Mama Suite," a mini-showcase for the band, with Latin and funk rhythms drawing sprightly solos out of trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene. "I Love Annie's Fanny" is the sort of slightly tart, angular piece that falls somewhere in the "Se"or Blues" range. And "Where Do I Go From Here?" is all Silver's piano - light, dancing, his patented touch at work. But as is often the case with Silver's records, there is something slightly odd here as well. The recording is intended to demonstrate that jazz can be funny by putting together a collection of humorous songs. But there are no vocals on the record! (Only Silver's lyrics provided in the liners.) Mind you, one shouldn't complain, for the true humor of Silver's music is in his compositions. And it's just that subtle brand of humor that his lyrics often obscure.
**
Horace Silver- Piano,
Ryan Kisor- Trumpet,
John Webber- Bass,
Jimmy Greene- Soprano,Tenor Sax
Willie Jones III- Drums
**
01. Satisfaction Guaranteed 5:48
02. Part I: Not Enough Mama 5:35
03. Part II: Too Much Mama 4:51
04. Part III: Just Right Mama 4:07
05. Philley Millie 4:45
06. Ah-Ma-Tell 5:59
07. I Love Annie's Fanny 4:48
08. Gloria 7:34
09. Where Do I Go From Here? 4:02
**

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Horace SILVER - Paris Blues 1962

Horace SILVER - Paris Blues 1962
Recorded live at the Olympia Theatre,
Paris, France on October 6, 1962
2002 Issue PACD 5316-2

Jazz

For those of us who treasure the Blue Mitchel/Junior Cook edition of the Horace Silver Quintet, this recording is as essential as the unearthed goodies by Coltrane or Bird. This was recorded in a concert setting in Paris, giving a different vibe from the intimate atmosphere of the Village Gate captured in Doin' The Thing. The recording quality is very good; all instruments can be clearly heard and the balance is fine. This is highly recommended for all Horace Silver fans
**
This is the classic Horace Silver Quintet. It existed and recorded here while Miles was between his two great quintets, just before Art Blakey recorded Caravan with Curtis Fuller and Wayne Shorter, and while John Coltrane was assembling his classic quartet. This concert takes place almost half way between Finger Poppin' With the Horace Silver Quintet and Song for My Father. In essence, this is hard bop reaching perfection, neither al dente nor over-cooked. All of the songs are lengthy Silver compositions.
With all cuts clocking in over ten minutes ("Sayonara Blues" stretches out to sixteen minutes), all of the musicians have ample time to say what must be said. Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook are in top form, blowing their potent mixture of smoky blues and pungent funk. Tart as a lemon and strong as a Manhattan, Mitchell proves himself more than a minor prophet in the scripture of hard bop. The same can be said of Cook, whose full-throated tone melds perfectly with Silver and Mitchell on this fall night in the City of Lights. Silver is brilliant in his leadership and performance, as is his rhythm support in Gene Taylor and Roy Brooks.
When previously asked to define hard bop, I would have steered the query toward Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' Moanin'. Now I will suggest Paris Blues.
By C. Michael Bailey
**
The bad news is that Paris Blues isn't an album of new songs. The good news is that it's a slammin' 1962 live set of previously unreleased material from Silver and his long-running band, which featured trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Roy Brooks. The production quality here is fairly high for a live recording of the time, with the band's hard-groovin' performances well captured. Silver tosses in licks left and right and occasionally takes a short and tasteful solo, but he's at his best here as he bangs out his patented bluesy, on-the-beat rhythms, feeding the horn players tasty riffs and rallying the band into a frenzy of upbeat hard bop. Featuring stretched-out versions of Silver classics "Filthy McNasty," "Sayonara Blues," and "The Tokyo Blues," as well as two others, Paris Blues captures this group at its high-octane best, with all the energy you'd expect from Horace Silver and his best band since leaving the Jazz Messengers.
By Tad Hendrickson.
**
Horace Silver- (Piano)
Junior Cook- (Tenor Saxophone)
Blue Mitchell- (Trumpet)
Gene Taylor- (Bass)
Roy Brooks- (Drums)
**
01. Introductions by Norman Granz and Horace Silver (1:49)
02. Where You At (10:41)
03. The Tokyo Blues (12:41)
04. Filthy McNasty (10:41)
05. Sayonara Blues (16:28)
06. Doin' the Thing (12:04)
**
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Horace SILVER - Silver 'N Strings Play The Music Of The Spheres 1978

Horace SILVER - Silver 'N Strings Play The Music Of The Spheres 1978
All Credits Go To *MY JAZZ WORLD*

Jazz

Horace Silver's final Blue Note record (after over 25 years on the label) is a double LP that augments his quintet (featuring fluegelhornist Tom Harrell and tenor-saxophonist Larry Schneider) with 14 strings and a harp. In addition, there are four vocalists (including Gregory Hines) singing lyrics that reflect Silver's self-help and spiritual beliefs. He was never as strong a lyricist as he was a composer and pianist so the vocals weigh down the music a bit. The songtitles probably kept a few of these pieces from becoming better-known. Who ever heard of such songs as "Negative Patterns of the Subconscious," "Progress Through Dedication and Discipline" and "We Expect Positive Results"?
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.
**
This is a very special album by pianist Horace Silver that he produced, composed and arranged, supported by Dale Oehler and Wade Marcus who took care of conducting the orchestra. Players are Ron Carter on bass, Al Foster on drums, Tom Harrell on flugelhorn and Larry Schneider on tenor and soprano sax, additionally there is a string orchestra. Vocalists are Gregory Hines, Brenda Alford, Chapman Roberts and Carol Lynn Maillard. The album was recorded in 1978 and 1979, it was released in 1980 on Blue Note Records.
**
Ron Carter- (Bass),
Horace Silver- (Piano)
Al Foster- (Drums)
Larry Schneider- (Soprano Sax), (Tenor Sax)
**
(The Physical Sphere)
The Soul And Its Expression
1. Part One The Search For Direction
2. Part Two Direction Discovered
3. Part Three We All Have A Part To Play

The Soul And Its Progress Throughout The Spheres
4. Part One Self Portrait No. 1 (Written 1973)
5. Part Two Self Portrait No. 2 (Written 1978)
6. Part Three Portrait Of The Aspiring Self (Written 1978)

(The Mental Sphere - Conscious Mind)
The Soul's Awareness Of Its Character
7. Part One Character Analysis
8. Part Two Negative Patterns Of The Sub-Conscious
9. Part Three The Conscious And Its Desire For Change

(The Mental Sphere - Sub-Conscious Mind)
The Pygmalion Process
10. Part One Inner Feelings
11. Part Two Friends
12. Part Three Empathy
13. Part Four Optimism
14. Part Five Expansion

(The Spiritual Sphere)
The Soul In Communion With The Creator
15. Part One Communion With The Creator
16. Part Two The Creator Guides Us
17. Part Three Progress, Through Dedication And Discipline
18. Part Four We Expect Positive Results
**
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Horace SILVER - Blowin' the Blues Away 1959

Horace SILVER - Blowin' the Blues Away 1959
Label: Blue Note
Audio CD (March 9, 1999)

Jazz

Recorded in 1959, this is an early chronicle of one of the finest bands of the hard-bop genre, pianist Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. The group already epitomized Silver's own virtues of precision and hard swing, with each soloist committed to direct and concise statements, at all times both emotionally and musically focused. There's effective contrast, too, between Mitchell's subtle turn of phrase and Cook's raw intensity, each filling in Silver's vision of a music that combined the complexity of bop and the immediacy of blues and gospel. This session contains the original recordings of two Silver standards, the serene "Peace" and the joyously funky "Sister Sadie," but the collective impact of the band is just as enduring. The group was so musically close-knit that when Silver disbanded five years later, the rest continued as the Blue Mitchell Quintet, with a young Chick Corea on piano.
By Stuart Broomer.
**
Horace Silver- (Piano)
Blue Mitchell- (Trumpet)
Junior Cook- (Tenor Saxophone)
Gene Taylor- (Double Bass)
Louis Hayes- (Drums)
**
01. Blowin' The Blues Away (Horace Silver) 4:45
02. The St. Vitus Dance (Horace Silver) 4:09
03. Break City (Horace Silver) 4:57
04. Peace (Horace Silver) 6:02
05. Sister Sadie (Horace Silver) 6:19
06. The Baghdad Blues (Horace Silver) 4:52
07. Melancholy Mood (Horace Silver) 7:10
08. How Did It Happen (Don Newey) 4:40
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