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.
Please, subscribe to our Library. Thank you!
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.
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.
Best Sheet Music download from our Library.
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
Sheet Music and biography download here.
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 |
---|---|---|
Khachaturian, Aram – Aegina’s dance (from the ballet Spartak) | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Album for Children 1 & 2 | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Barsik on a swing | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Concert for Violin and Orchestra | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Drums | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Étude | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Sabre Dance (piano) | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Suite ballet Gayaneh (piano arrangement) | ||
Khachaturian, Aram – Waltz from music to M. Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” | ||
Khovanshchina – Marfa’s aria (Modesto Mussorgsky) | ||
Killing Me Softly With His Song (Lead Sheet With Lyrics ) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Killing me softly with his song (Roberta Flack) | ||
Kindertotenlieder (Gustav Mahler) arr. for piano solo | ||
King Crimson Starless (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – Book Of Saturday | King Crimson – Book Of Saturday | |
King Crimson – Book Of Saturday (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – Cadence And Cascade (In The Wake Of Poseidon) Guitar | ||
King Crimson – Cirkus (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – Fifty Shades of Crimson Robert Fripp and King Crimson (Pete Tomsett) (Book) | ||
King Crimson – Frame By Frame | King Crimson – Frame By Frame | |
King Crimson – I Talk To The Wind (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – Peace A Theme (Guitar Tabs) | ||
King Crimson – Red (Piano Or Guitar And Bass Reduction) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson – Red (Piano solo) | King Crimson – Red | |
King Crimson – Songbook | ||
King Crimson – Starless | King Crimson – Starless | |
King Crimson – The Court Of The Crimson King (Piano Solo) | King Crimson The Court Of The Crimson King (Piano Solo) | |
King Crimson -The Court Of The Crimson King (King Crimson 1969) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson Discipline Full Score | ||
King Crimson Frame By Frame (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Crimson In The Court Of The Crimson King (full band score) | ||
King Crimson Starless (Musescore File).mscz | ||
King Kong – James Newton Howard (Music from the picture Soundtrack) | King Kong – James Newton Howard (Music from the picture Soundtrack) | |
Kingdom Hearts Kairi I by Yoko Shimomura | ||
Kingdom Hearts – Dearly Beloved | ||
Kingdom Hearts – The Afternoon Streets | Kingdom Hearts – The Afternoon Streets | |
Kingdom Hearts – Traverse Town | ||
Kingdom Hearts II Passion Sheet Music | ||
Kingdom Hearts Piano Collections | Kingdom Hearts – Piano Collections | |
Kingdom Hearts Remix – Another Side -Battle Ver- | ||
Kings Of Leon Only By The Night (Songbook) Piano Vocal guitar | Kings Of Leon Only By The Night (Songbook) Piano Vocal guitar | |
Kirby Triple Deluxe Queen Sectonia Medley Game sheet music pdf | ||
Kirill Richter In Memoriam | ||
Kirill Richter Michigan 7 | ||
Kirk Franklin Songbook | Kirk Franklin Songbook | |
Kiss – Because Im A Girl | ||
Kiss – Guitar TAB Play Along Volume 30 | Kiss – Guitar TAB Play Along Volume 30 | |
Kiss – Revenge (Guitar songbook) | Kiss – Revenge (Guitar songbook) | |
Kiss – The Best Of – Signature Licks (Play Along With Audio MP3) Guitar Tablature Songbook | Kiss – Guitar TAB Play Along Volume 30 | |
Kiss – The Rain | ||
Kiss from a Rose (Seal) | ||
Kiss The Best Of Guitar Songbook | Kiss The Best Of Guitar Songbook-1 | |
Kitaro – Matsuri (Piano Solo Noten) | ||
Kitaro – Theme From Silk Road documentary (piano solo sheet music) | ||
Klassik Meets Jazz 1 Classics Meet Jazz by Korn Uwe | Klassik Meets Jazz 1 Classics Meet Jazz 1 by Korn Uwe | |
Klassik Meets Jazz 2 Classics Meet Jazz 2 By Korn Uwe | Klassik Meets Jazz 2 Classics Meet Jazz 2 By Korn Uwe Pdf | |
Klavier – Rammstein (Piano) | ||
Kleynjans – Fado Guitar | ||
KLOSE, H. – Complete Method for all Saxophones Méthode Complète pour tous les Saxophones | ||
kno – Remember Me (from Disney Pixar film Coco) | ||
Kobayashi Amazing Grace John Newton Piano Vocal with lyrics | ||
Kodaly Zoltan Gyermekta Children’s Dance No. 1 Allegretto | ||
Kodaly Zoltan Sieben Klavierstucke sept piès pour Piano Op. 11 Piano Solo | ||
Kodaly, Zoltan – Sonate Op. 8 Violoncello Solo | ||
Kodaly, Zoltan – Stabat Mater | ||
Kodaly, Zoltan 10 Hungarian Folk Songs | ||
Kodaly, Zoltan Nine Piano Pieces Neun Klavierstucke Op. 3 Piano Solo | ||
Köhler – Sonatinen & Rondos Album | ||
Köhler – 12 Easy Studies, Op. 157 | ||
Köhler – Short School of Velocity, op 242 | Köhler Op. 242 | |
Koichi Sakata From Up On Poppy Hill Summer Of Farewells Arr. Satoshi Takebe From The Anime Film | ||
Koji Konda Kirby Piano Medley | ||
Kokuriko Zaka Kara Sayonara No Natsu Aoi Teshima | ||
Konstantin Pvassiliev Collected Works for Guitar Dance of the forest Ghosts | Konstantin Pvassiliev Collected Works for Guitar Dance of the forest Ghosts | |
Kool And The Gang – Celebration | ||
Korganov Op.18 – 2 Nocturnes | ||
Korganov – Op.26 – Ein Traum | ||
Korngold Piano Sonata N. 2, Op. 2 | ||
Korngold Piano Sonata No. 1 | Korngold Piano Sonata No. 1 | |
Korngold – 4 Waltzes per Pianoforte | ||
Korngold – Mariettas Lied | ||
Korngold – Op. 11 Three Pieces for piano | ||
Korngold – op. 29 Songs of the Clown | ||
Korngold – The Sea Hawk (Suite Piano solo arr.) | Korngold – The Sea Hawk (Suite Piano solo arr.) | |
Korngold – Unverganglichkeit Op 27 The Eternal For Voice And Piano | ||
Korngold Piano Sonata No. 3 In C Major Op. 25 | ||
Korobeiniki – Tetris Theme (Piano Tiles arr.) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Korsakov – Flight Of The Bumblebee (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Kosma, Joseph – Autumn Leaves (Jazz Standard) | Kosma, Joseph – Autumn Leaves (Jazz Standard) | |
Kraftwerk The Best Of Kraftwerk Piano | Kraftwerk | |
Krehbiel, Henry Edward Afro-American folksong (A Study in Racial and National Music) 1914 | Krehbiel | |
Krein, Julien – Op 5 Eight Preludes For Piano | ||
Kreisler Liebesleid Love’s Sorrow (solo piano) | ||
Kreisler Liebeslied – Love’s Sorrow (transcribed for solo piano by Rachmaninoff) | Kreisles Liebesleid | |
Kreisler Rachmaninoff – Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) Piano Solo – Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen (piano solo arr.) | Kreisler Rachmaninoff – Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) Piano Solo – Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen (piano solo arr.) | |
Krezip – Fine | ||
Krezip – I Would Stay | ||
Kt Tunstall – Big Black Horse | ||
Kullak – The School of Octave Playing, sec 2 seven studies | ||
Kuroso-P Senbonzakura Piano solo | ||
Kurt Rosenwinkel Zhivago Solo Guitar Arr with Tablature | ||
Kurt Rosenwinkel – Zhivago – Solo Guitar Arrangement with TABs | ||
Kurt Rosenwinkel Compositions (transcribed by Chuck Stevens) | Kurt Rosenwinkel Compositions (transcribed by Chuck Stevens) | |
Kurt Rosenwinkel Patterns | ||
Kurt Weill – Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife) Guitar arr. | ||
Kurt Weill – Mack The Knife | ||
Kurt Weill 14 songs | ||
Kurt Weill Songbook (four songs) | ||
Kurt Weill Songs Piano and saxophone | Kurt Weill Songs Piano and saxophone | |
Kurt Weill Surabaya Johnny From The Show Happy End Piano Vocal | ||
Kygo – Thrill Of The Chase (Piano Medley) | Kygo – Thrill Of The Chase (Piano Medley) | |
Kylie Minogue – Cant Get You Out Of My Head | ||
Kylie Minogue Kylie Songbook | Kylie Minogue Kylie Songbook | |
L’ Autre Valse d’Amélie (Amélie soundtrack) Yann Tiersen | ||
L’âge D’or No 1 20 Chansons Françaises (Partitions) | L’age D’or No 1 20 Chansons Francaises (Partitions) | |
L’âge D’or No 2 20 Chansons Françaises (Partitions) | L’age D’or No 2 20 Chansons Francaises (Partitions) | |
L’art d’accorder soi-même son piano – C. Montal (French) 1865 | L’art d’accorder soi-même son piano | |
L’art d’accorder soi-même son piano – C. Montal (French) 1865 | L’art d’accorder soi-même son piano | |
L’Enfant et les sortilèges – Adieu, pastourelles (Maurice Ravel) |