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.
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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Stefanuk Misha V. – Jazz Piano Chords | ||
Stella By Starlight – Victor Young | ||
Stella by Starlight by Ned Washington and Victor Young JAZZ PLAY ALONG LEAD SHEET MUSIC | Stella by Starlight | |
Stella By Starlight Victor Young (Jazz Standard) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Stella By Starlight Victor Young & Ned Washington Sheet Music 1946 Jazz Standard (Vintage sheet music) | ||
Stella, Simone – Canon on the name B.A.C.H. (piano) | ||
Stella, Simone – Etude-Bizzarria (cello) | ||
Stella, Simone – Jeux de cromorne (organ) | ||
Stella, Simone – Jeux de flutes (organ) | ||
Stella, Simone – Les fleurs du mal (cello&piano) | ||
Stella, Simone – Victimae Paschali, versetto (organ) | ||
Stelvio Cipriani Anonimo Veneziano | ||
Stephane Boget – Les Secrets Du Hard Rock (FR) avec audio MP3 et Tablature | secrets du hard rock | |
Stephen Duro – Forget Me Not Waltz (ABRSM Piano) | ||
Stephen Foster Songbook (published 1854) | ||
Stephen Goss Guitar Concerto 2012 Complete Score for guitar and orchestra | ||
Stephen Hough Song Transcriptions for solo piano | ||
Stephen Sanchez – Until I Found You Sheet Music | ||
Stephen Schwartz Songbook | Stephen Schwartz Songbook | |
Steve Eckels – 20 Easy Classical Guitar Pieces For Kids with TABs | Steve Eckels – 20 Easy Classical Pieces For Kids with TABs | |
Steve Green – Find us faithful – Easy Piano | ||
Steve Green – Household Of Faith (Piano solo sheet music) | ||
Steve Howe – All My Yesterdays (Book) | ||
Steve Howe Guitar Pieces | Steve Howe Guitar Pieces | |
Steve Morse Southern Steel Guitar Songbook with Tablature | Steve Morse Southern Steel Guitar Songbook | |
Steve Reich – Writings On Music (Book) | Steve Reich – Writings On Music (Book) | |
Steve Reich Electric Counterpoint Solo | ||
Steve Vai – Guitar Styles & Techniques (Signature Licks) with Tablature | Steve Vai – Guitar Styles & Techniques (Signature Licks) | |
Steve Vai Alien Love Secrets Naked Vamps Guitar Tabs signature licks | Steve Vai Alien Love Secrets Naked Vamps Guitar Tabs signature licks | |
Steve Vai Fire Garden Songbook Guitar Tabs | ||
Steve Vai Flexable Leftovers Guitar Tabs | Steve Vai Flexable Leftovers Guitar Tabs | |
Steve Vai Passion Warfare Songbook Guitar Tabs | ||
Steve Winwood Greatest Hits | Steve Winwood Greatest Hits | |
Steven Feifke Autumn Leaves sheet music transcription | Steven Feifke Autumn Leaves sheet music transcription | |
Steven Feifke Confirmation sheet music transcription | ||
Steven Feifke Tenor Madness sheet music transcription | ||
Stevie Nicks – Greatest Hits (Songbook) – Piano Vocal Guitar Sheet Music) | Stevie Nicks – Greatest Hits (Songbook) – Piano Vocal Guitar Sheet Music) | |
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Signature Licks – The Guitar Style Of (play along with audio MP3) Guitar Tablature Songbook | Signature Licks – The Guitar Style Of Stevie Ray Vaughan | |
Stevie Wonder Isn’t She Lovely (As Played By Terrence Shider) | ||
Stevie Wonder – Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing | ||
Stevie Wonder – Higher Ground | ||
Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You | ||
Stevie Wonder – Isnt She Lovely | ||
Stevie Wonder – Knocks Me Off My Feet | ||
Stevie Wonder – Lately | ||
Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster (Jammin) El. Bass TAB sheet music | ||
Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster (Jammin) Guitar TABS & El. Bass sheet music | ||
Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster (Jammin) Piano sheet music | Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster (Jammin) Piano sheet music | |
Stevie Wonder – My Cherie Amour | ||
Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed Delivered | ||
Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life (Book) | Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life | |
Stevie Wonder – Superstition | ||
Stevie Wonder – The Best of | Stevie Wonder – The Best of | |
Stevie Wonder – The Sound Of Stevie Wonder His Words And Music Book by James E. Perone Book | ||
Stevie Wonder – The Stevie Wonder Anthology | Stevie Wonder – The Stevie Wonder Anthology | |
Stevie Wonder – The Stevie Wonder Collection (Piano and Guitar) | The Stevie Wonder Collection (Piano and Guitar) | |
Stevie Wonder – You and I (piano solo sheet music) | Stevie Wonder – You and I (piano solo sheet music) | |
Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life | ||
Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (piano solo) | Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (piano solo) | |
Stevie Wonder For Piano Solo (Songbook) (Stevie Wonder) | Stevie Wonder For Piano Solo (Songbook) (Stevie Wonder) | |
Stevie Wonder Hits (Guitar Songbook with TABS) – Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder Hits (Songbook) – Stevie Wonder | |
Stevie Wonder Hotter Than July | Stevie Wonder Hotter Than July | |
Stevie Wonder Isn’t She Lovely | ||
Stevie Wonder Moon Blue Piano solo | ||
Stevie Wonder The Great Songs (arranged for all organ) | Stevie Wonder The Great Songs | |
Stevie Wonder’s Hits (very easy piano, vocal & guitar) | Stevie Wonder’s Hits (easy piano, chords) | |
Sting Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot Sheet Music | ||
Sting The Singles Collection | Sting The Singles Collection | |
Sting – Broken Music A Memoir (Book) AutoBiography | ||
Sting – Every Breath You Take | ||
Sting – Fields Of Gold | ||
Sting – Fields Of Gold – The Best (Songbook) | The best of Sting | |
Sting – I’ll be missing you | Sting – I’ll be missing you | |
Sting – Piano Solos | Sting – Piano Solos | |
Sting – The Book of My Life (Piano) | Sting – The Book of My Life (Piano) | |
Sting and the Police – The Very Best Of | Sting & the police contents | |
Sting If On A Winters Night Vocal Piano Songbook | Sting If On A Winters Night Vocal Piano Songbook | |
Sting Mercury Falling Piano Vocal Songbook | Sting – Mercury Falling (Songbook) contents— | |
Sting Rock Score | ||
Sting Sacred Love | Sting Sacred Love contents — Sting Sacred love | |
Sting Ten Summoner 27s Tales Songbook | Sting Ten Summoner 27s Tales Songbook | |
Sting The Anthology (Guitar & Piano) | Sting The Anthology (Guitar & Piano) contents — | |
Sting the very best of – Easy arrangements for Piano (Hans-Güter Heumann) | Sting the very best of – Easy arrangements for Piano | |
Sting- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – Piano | Sting- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – Piano | |
Stockhausen, Karlheinz – Klavierstuck IX | ||
Stockhausen, Karlheinz – Klavierstuck VI | ||
Stockhausen, Karlheinz – Klavierstucke 2, I-IV | ||
Stone Roses Songbook with Tablature | Stone Roses Songbook Guitar | |
Stories Of Standard Teaching Pieces (By Edward Baxter Perry) (1910) | ||
Stormy Weather (Film music theme) Harold Arlen | Stormy Weather | |
Stranger Things Main Theme Piano solo | ||
Stranger Things Main Theme Piano Solo Arr. | ||
Stranger Things Main Theme Piano solo arr. (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Strauss Johann – The Blue Danube Piano solo | ||
Strauss Richard – Also Sprach Zarathustra (Trans. R. Schmalz for Piano solo) | ||
Strauss – An Der Schönen Blauen Donau (Advanced Ver.) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Strauss – An Der Schönen Blauen Donau The Blue Danube (Easy Piano Solo) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Strauss – An Der Schönen Blauen Donau The Blue Danube (Intermediate Piano Solo) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30 (arr. for 2 pianos) | ||
Strauss, Johann Ii An Der Schönen Blauen Donau, Op.314 Jrummel Easy Piano Solo | ||
Strauss, Johann Ii Waatzes For Piano Op. 314 (Complete) | ||
Strauss, Johann Jr. – The Blue Danube Waltz (Easy Piano Solo) | ||
Strauss, Richard Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op 30 Einleitung, Oder Sonnenaufgang (Solo Piano Arr) | ||
Stravinski, Igor – Poetica Musical Book (Español – Spanish) | ||
Stravinsky Ragtime (Piano Solo, Transcribed By The Composer) | ||
Stravinsky The Firebird Suite Piano Transcription | ||
Stravinsky Three Movements From Petrushka (piano solo arr.) | ||
Stravinsky – Octet for Wind Instruments | ||
Stravinsky – Ragtime (Piano Solo) | ||
Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring Le Sacre du printemps (4 hands, piano à 4 mains) | Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring Le Sacre du printemps (4 hands, piano à 4 mains) | |
Stravinsky – The Rite Of Spring – piano 2 hands – arr. by Raphling | ||
Stravinsky 3 Easy pieces for piano 4 hands | ||
Stravinsky 4 Etudes Op.7 | ||
Stravinsky And His World by Tamara Levitz (Book) | ||
Stravinsky Sonata F Sharp Minor | ||
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms (arr. piano solo) | ||
Stravinsky Tango | ||
Stravinsky The Firebird Piano Transcription | Stravinsky: The Firebird | |
Stravinsky, Igor 5 Easy Pieces [Piano 4 Hands] | ||
Stravinsky, Igor – The Rite of Spring Le Sacre du Printemps (piano solo) |