Table of Contents:
Horace Silver: The Top 25 pearls in Jazz history
Horace Silver biography
From the perspective of the 21st century, it is clear that few jazz musicians had a greater impact on the contemporary mainstream than Horace Silver. The hard bop style that Silver pioneered in the ’50s is now dominant, played not only by holdovers from an earlier generation, but also by fuzzy-cheeked musicians who had yet to be born when the music fell out of critical favor in the ’60s and ’70s.
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Silver’s earliest musical influence was the Cape Verdean folk music he heard from his Portuguese-born father. Later, after he had begun playing piano and saxophone as a high schooler, Silver came under the spell of blues singers and boogie-woogie pianists, as well as boppers like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.
In 1950, Stan Getz played a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, with a pickup rhythm section that included Silver, drummer Walter Bolden, and bassist Joe Calloway. So impressed was Getz, he hired the whole trio. Silver had been saving his money to move to New York anyway; his hiring by Getz sealed the deal.
Silver worked with Getz for a year, then began to freelance around the city with such big-time players as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Oscar Pettiford. In 1952, he recorded with Lou Donaldson for the Blue Note label; this date led him to his first recordings as a leader. In 1953, he joined forces with Art Blakey to form a cooperative under their joint leadership.
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The band’s first album, Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, was a milestone in the development of the genre that came to be known as hard bop. Many of the tunes penned by Silver for that record — “The Preacher,” “Doodlin’,” “Room 608” — became jazz classics.
By 1956, Silver had left the Messengers to record on his own. The series of Blue Note albums that followed established him for all time as one of jazz’s major composer/pianists. LPs like Blowin’ the Blues Away and Song for My Father (both recorded by an ensemble that included Silver’s longtime sidemen Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook) featured Silver’s harmonically sophisticated and formally distinctive compositions for small jazz ensemble.
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Silver’s piano style — terse, imaginative, and utterly funky — became a model for subsequent mainstream pianists to emulate. Some of the most influential horn players of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s first attained a measure of prominence with Silver — musicians like Donald Byrd, Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Benny Golson, and the Brecker Brothers all played in Silver’s band at a point early in their careers. Silver has even affected members of the avant-garde; Cecil Taylor confesses a Silver influence, and trumpeter Dave Douglas played briefly in a Silver combo.
Silver recorded exclusively for Blue Note until that label’s eclipse in the late ’70s, whereupon he started his own label, Silveto. Horace Silver’s ’80s work was poorly distributed.
During that time he began writing lyrics to his compositions, and his work began to display a concern with music’s metaphysical powers, as exemplified by album titles like Music to Ease Your Disease and Spiritualizing the Senses. In the ’90s, Silver abandoned his label venture and began recording for Columbia.
With his re-emergence on a major label, Silver once again received a measure of the attention his contributions deserve. Certainly, no one ever contributed a larger and more vital body of original compositions to the jazz canon. Silver died in New York on June 18, 2014, at the age of 85.
He had a son, Gregory – now a rap musician under the name of G Wise – from his marriage to Barbara, which ended in divorce.
Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver, pianist and composer, born 2 September 1928, died 18 June 2014.
Selected Discography
Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Blue Note, 1954
Blowin’ the Blues Away, Blue Note, 1959
Song For My Father, Blue Note, 1964
Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note, 1965
The Hardbop Grandpop, GRP, 1996
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Horace Silver – Blowin The Blues Away
Personnel:
Horace Silver – piano
Blue Mitchell – trumpet
Junior Cook – tenor saxophone
Gene Taylor – bass
Louis Hayes – drums
from the album ‘BLOWIN’ THE BLUES AWAY’ (Blue Note Records)
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
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Jóhann Jóhannsson – Epilogue (The Theory Of Everything) |
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Jóhann Jóhannsson – Flight From The City (For Solo Piano) |
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Johann Johannsson – Forces Of Attraction (from The Theory of Everything) |
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Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of (from The Theory of Everything) |
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Johann Pachelbel – Canon In D | ||
Johannes Brecht Imperfect Moments Pt. 4 Piano |
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Johannes Brecht Imperfect Moments Pt. 4 Piano.mxl | ||
John 5 Book Of John |
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John Abercrombie Jazz Guitar Solos Transcribed by Josh Workman and Christopher Jentsch |
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John Abercrombie Jazz Guitar Solos |
John Barnes Chance – Variations On A Korean Folk Song (Arr. For 2 Pianos) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Barry Dances With Wolves |
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John Barry – Dances with Wolves |
John Barry The Persuaders Theme (sheet music) | John Barry-The Persuaders | |
John Barry We have all the time in the world | John Barry We have all the time in the world | |
John Barry – Born free |
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John Barry – Out of Africa (Main Theme) Easy Piano Solo transcr. |
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John Barry – Out Of Africa (Main Theme) Easy Piano Solo Transcr. (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Barry – Out Of Africa (piano selections) |
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Out of Africa |
John Barry – Somewhere In Time | somewhere in time theme | |
John Barry – Somewhere In Time (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Bayless – O come all ye faithfull (sheet music transcription) | John Bayless – O come all ye faithfull (sheet music transcription) | |
John Bayless – White Christmas (sheet music transcription) | John Bayless – White Christmas (sheet music transcription) | |
John Cage Kyle Gann- Silence Lectures and Writings 50th Anniversary Edition (Biography) |
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John Cage – Dream |
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John Cage – Piano works 1938-1948 (book sheet music) |
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John Cage piano works |
John Cage – Song Books Volume 2 |
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John Cage Living Room Music |
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John Cage Suite For Toy Piano |
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John Carpenter – Halloween theme – Guitar Tabs arr. (Easy) |
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John Carpenter – Halloween theme (Miheal Myer) – Piano solo |
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John Coltrane – Artist Transcriptions (transcribed by Carl Coan) |
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John Coltrane transcription |
John Coltrane – Essential Jazz Lines Guitar with TAB |
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John Coltrane – Essential Jazz Lines |
John Coltrane – Giant Steps – Tete Montoliu |
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John Coltrane – Giant Steps Jazz Play Along (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Coltrane – Patterns |
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John Coltrane – Patterns |
John Coltrane – Patterns.mscz | ||
John Coltrane – solo-transcription- But Not for Me |
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John Coltrane – The Music Of John Coltrane (Jazz Giants) |
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John Coltrane – The Music Of John Coltrane (Jazz Giants) |
John Coltrane (10 John Coltrane Classics) |
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John Coltrane Equinox (Jazz Play Along Vol. 13) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Coltrane Improvised Saxophone Solos (John Coltrane) |
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John Coltrane Improvised Saxophone Solos (John Coltrane) |
John Coltrane Jazz Improvisation Vol 1 Tenor Solos For All Instrumental Musicians | John Coltrane Jazz Improvisation Vol 1 Tenor Solos For All Instrumental Musicians cover | John Coltrane Jazz Improvisation Vol 1 Tenor Solos For All Instrumental Musicians |
John Coltrane Omnibook For Bb instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos |
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John Coltrane Omnibook For Bb instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos |
John Coltrane Omnibook For E Flat instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos |
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John Coltrane Omnibook For E Flat instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos |
John Coltrane Solos |
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John Coltrane Solos |
John Coltrane, The John Coltrane Reference (Book) |
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John Denver – Annies Song | ||
John Denver – Leaving On A Jetplane | ||
John Denver Anthology (Piano, Guitar & Voice Songbook) |
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John Denver Anthology sheet music |
John Denver Best Of Easy Piano |
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John Denver Best Of Easy Piano |
John Fogerty Proud Mary (Rollin’ On The River) Guitar ensemble and Voice |
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John Fogerty Proud Mary (Rollin’ On The River) Piano Vocal |
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John Hill – Classic Rock For Classical Guitar with Tablature |
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John Hill – Classic Rock For Classical Guitar |
John Ireland 2 pieces for piano (February’s Child and Aubade) |
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John Jacob Niles, The Songs of (for high voice and Piano sheet music) |
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John Jacob Niles, The Songs of (for high voice and Piano sheet music) |
John Kember Jazz Piano Studies Vol 1pdf |
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John Laporta – Developing Sight Reading Skills In The Jazz Idiom |
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John Legend – All Of Me | John Legend – All Of Me | |
John Legend – All Of Me (Easy Piano Solo) | John Legend – All Of Me (Easy Piano Solo) | |
John Legend – All Of Me (Easy Piano Solo) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Legend – All of Me (piano-vocal-guitar) |
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John Legend – All of Me Sheet Music – sheet music |
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John Legend – It Dont Have To Change | ||
John Legend – Once Again (Songbook) (John Legend) |
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John Legend – Once Again (Songbook) (John Legend) |
John Legend – Ordinary People | ||
John Legend Best Of John Legend Songbook |
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John Legend Best Of John Legend Songbook |
John Legend Get Lifted |
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John Legend Once Again (songbook) |
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John Legend Once Again |
John Legend Ordinary People piano sheet music |
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John Lennon Memories Of – Edited and introduced by Yoko Ono (Biography) |
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John Lennon IMAGINE |
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Lennon Imagine |
John Lennon Imagine (Musescore File).mscz | ||
John Lennon – Greatest Hits (Guitar Tab) |
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John Lennon – Greatest Hits |
John Lennon – Happy Christmas | ||
John Lennon – Happy Christmas (War Is Over) Piano & Vocal | John Lennon-Happy Christmas (War Is Over) | |
John Lennon – Imagine (Piano Part As Played By Lennon in 1971) |
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John Lennon – Imagine (Piano Solo) | John Lennon – Imagine (Piano Solo) | |
John Lennon – Imagine sheet music | John Lennon – Imagine | |
John Lennon – Jealous Guy (Piano and vocal) | John Lennon – Jealous Guy | |
John Lennon – Oh My Love Piano solo arr. sheet music | John Lennon – Oh My Love Piano solo arr. sheet music | |
John Lennon – Oh My Love Piano solo arr. sheet music.mscz | ||
John Lennon – Power To The People The Hits (Songbook) (John Lennon) Piano Vocal Guitar |
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John Lennon – Power To The People The Hits (Songbook) (John Lennon) Piano Vocal Guitar |
John Lennon & Ono Yoko Happy Xmas (War Is Over) |
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John Lennon Collection Book |
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John Lennon Collection |
John Lennon The Life – Book by Philip Norman (Biography) |
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John Mayall With Eric Clapton Blues Breakers (Guitar TAB) |
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John Mayall With Eric Clapton Blues Breakers (Guitar) |
John Mayer – Your Body Is A Wonderland | ||
John Mayer Anthology for Easy Guitar – Volume 1 (Songbook) – John Mayer & Jim Beloff sheet music |
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John Mayer Anthology for Easy Guitar – Volume 1 (Songbook) – John Mayer & Jim Beloff sheet music |
John Mayer Piano Book |
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John Mayer Song Book Continuum |
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John Mayer Song Book Continuum |
John McLaughlin & Mahavishnu Orchestra (Songbook) |
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John Mclaughlin & Mahavishnu Orchestra |
John Mclaughlin Music Book (Guitar) |
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John Mclaughlin Music Book (Guitar) |
John Mehegan Improvising Jazz piano |
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John Mehegan Jazz Improvisation 1 Tonal and Rhythmic Principles (Book) |
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John Mehegan Jazz Improvisation 2 Jazz Rythm And The Improvised Line |
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John Mehegan Jazz Improvisation 3 Swing And Early Progressive Piano Styles |
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John Mehegan Jazz Improvisation 4 – Contemporary piano styles by John Mehegan |
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John Mehegan The Jazz Pianist Book 2 |
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John Mehegan The Jazz Pianist Book 2 |
John Mehegan- Famous Jazz Style Piano |
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John Murphy – In The House In A Heartbeat (from 28 days later) Piano solo sheet music |
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John Petrucci Wild Stringdom (Guitar with Tablature) |
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John Petrucci – Suspended Animation Authentic Guitar TAB (John Petrucci) |
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John Petrucci Rock Discipline (Guitar with Tablature) |
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John Rutter – Candlelight Carol (full score) |
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John Rutter – Magnificat with English singing version (Choir & piano) | John Rutter – Magnificat | |
John Rutter – The Gift Of Music satb |
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John Scofield Guitar Transcriptions |
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John Scofield Guitar Transcriptions |
John Scofield Time On My Hands Guitar TABs |
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John Scofield Time On My Hands Guitar TABs |
John Steward – Daydream Believer | ||
John Taylor – Ambleside |
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John Thompson Modern Course For Piano 2nd Grade |
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John Thompson Piano 1 |
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John Williams Jurassic Park (Piano Solos) |
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Joep-Beving-Adrift-In-Aether-Piano-Solo |
John Williams The Post. Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack Piano Solo |
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John Williams The Post. Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack Piano Solo |
John Williams – Harry Potter Theme (Piano solo sheet music) | John Williams – Harry Potter Theme (Piano solo sheet music) | |
John Williams – Jaws Sheet Music |
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John Williams – Raiders March (Raiders of the Lost Ark) |
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John Williams – Anthology (Revised & Updated) |
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John Williams – Anthology (Revised & Updated) |
John Williams – Cavatina (The Deer Hunter) | Cavatina – John Williams – The Deer Hunter | |
John Williams – Jane Eyre |
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John Williams – Jewish Town |