Horace Silver, an earthy man who made spiritual music and a spiritual man who made earthy music.
It's impossible to conceive of the Blue Note label without the contribution of Silver, he's pivotal, essential, inspirational; the lynchpin of the legacy, the godfather of the dynasty. From his pioneering hard-bop beginnings, through his definitive sixties soul-jazz masterpieces to his much misunderstood seventies output. Horace Silver is the tree, the jazz tree, the firm roots, the splaying branches, the foliage that changes with the seasons, he is the gateway, the conduit, the welcoming voice, the musician who exemplified all that was great about jazz, seeking, exploring and soulful, yet never alienating or obtuse, always humble and giving.
I swerved a couple of obvious choices in this selection, particularly the tune for which Horace is best known, the mighty, magnificent "Song For My Father". Not because I don't care for it, or that I've tired of it, on the contrary; in fact when my own father passed away I remember playing it at Dingwalls and shedding tears. However, when there was recent false alarm about Horace's passing I discovered probably the best version of the tune, which with the accompanying clip is as engaging a tribute to Horace and his most famous tune as anyone could wish for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1CilMzT55M
The other tune that I omitted is not so well known generally, but amongst jazz-dance circles it's become an evergreen classic. From the album "The Tokyo Blues", "Sayonara Blues" is a great though subtle dance-floor journey that maintains an amazing pulse, and I've left it out for that very reason, it's better in a club!!! (And it's long!)
So this is not a comprehensive review of Horace's oeuvre, I've steered clear of his early hard-bop recordings and focussed mainly on tunes from the mid sixties through to the eighties, the music from his middle years, ignoring the youthful beginnings and the later mature work. It's just the stuff I love, the classic sixties stylings , the spiritual tunes with Andy Bey's vocals and some of his more fusion based excursions. Horace Silver for sure, but very much my version, because it's personal.
Horace the gateway, because so many have found a route into Jazz through his work, the accessible themes and the rhythmic drive of his left hand on the keyboard helped to create music that had an appeal that reached beyond the immediate jazz audience. Horace the conduit, because he channelled the history of Jazz through his playing and because he was always driven by a higher force. Horace the humble man who was inspired to dedicate his life to the exposition of a spiritual, holistic philosophy, and angered many purists and critics with his "United States Of Mind" series for Blue Note in the early seventies when he first started to explore these themes.
I can understand why so many found this change of direction upsetting, the approach was song-based, with far less emphasis on soloing. For an artist who had enthralled the jazz world with his dynamic quintet line-ups, introducing so many prodigiously talented horn players to then switch the focus to Andy Bey's (remarkable) voice, and furthermore to adopt the electric keyboard…. it was probably tough to take.
However when I first discovered the album "Total Response" I was completely blown away, the music still had the characteristic Silver pulse, but the lyrics and the philosophy they advocated made total sense to me, it became a firm favourite.
As i referred to on the show, seeing Horace Silver perform at Ronnie Scott's with Andy Bey during their second phase of collaboration in the late eighties was an unforgettable experience. I met him and in a star struck fashion tried to convey my appreciation of his music, I told him that Total Response was one of my favourite albums. I think he was a little shocked, but I hope he understood that for a new generation of Jazz fans, his "spiritual" music was perhaps even more relevant than the hard-bop and soul-jazz standards he was renowned for.
Joining heaven's pantheon of late great jazz stars, I hope Duke has thanked Horace for dedicating a tune to him and calling it The Sophisticated Hippie. I can imagine them having a chuckle about that.
1. The Jody Grind (1966)
2. Nica's Dream (1960)
3. Gods Of The Yoruba (1978)
4. The Cape Verdean Blues (1965)
5. Silver Treads Among My Soul (1964)
6. Old Mother Nature (1970)
7. Music To Ease Your Disease (1988)
8. Cause And Effect (1972)
9. Accepting Responsibility (1981)
10. I've Had A Little Talk (1970)
11. Summer in Central Park (1972)
12. Barbara (1975)
13. Peace (1970)
14. Senor Blues (vocal version) (1958)
15. Que Pasa (trio version) (1964)
16. The Sophisticated Hippie (1975)
17. Assimilation (1976)
18. In Pursuit Of The 27th Man (1972)
19. Nutville (1965)
