Horace Silver Quintet & Trio - Blowin' The Blues Away (1959, 2004)

Blowin' The Blues Away is one of Horace Silver's all-time Blue Note classics, only upping the ante established on Finger Poppin' for tightly constructed, joyfully infectious hard bop. This album marks the peak of Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes; it's also one of the pianist's strongest sets of original compositions, eclipsed only by Song for My Father and Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. The pacing of the album is impeccable, offering up enough different feels and slight variations on Silver's signature style to captivate the listener throughout. Two songs - the warm, luminous ballad "Peace" and the gospel-based call-and-response swinger "Sister Sadie" - became oft-covered standards of Silver's repertoire, and the madly cooking title cut wasn't far behind. And they embody what's right with the album in a nutshell -- the up-tempo tunes ("Break City") are among the hardest-swinging Silver had ever cut, and the slower changes of pace ("Melancholy Mood") are superbly lyrical, adding up to one of the best realizations of Silver's aesthetic. Also, two cuts ("Melancholy Mood" and the easy-swinging "The St. Vitus Dance") give Silver a chance to show off his trio chops, and "Baghdad Blues" introduces his taste for exotic, foreign-tinged themes. Through it all, Silver remains continually conscious of the groove, playing off the basic rhythms to create funky new time patterns. The typical high-impact economy of his and the rest of the band's statements is at its uppermost level, and everyone swings with exuberant commitment. In short, Blowin' the Blues Away is one of Silver's finest albums, and it's virtually impossible to dislike. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide. 

Blue Note Records, TOCJ-6421, 2004
Recorded 29th August (#1,6), 30th August (#3,4,5) and 13th September (#2,7), 1959
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Blue Mitchell - Trumpet (#1,3-6)
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#1,3-6)
Gene Taylor - Bass
Louis Hayes - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Blowin' The Blues Away (4:45)
2. The St. Vitus Dance (4:09)
3. Break City (4:57)
4. Peace (6:03)
5. Sister Sadie (6:19)
6. The Baghdad Blues (4:53)
7. Melancholy Mood (7:09) 

All compositions by Horace Silver 

Total Time: 38:19 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover Illustration - Paula Donohue
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler 

Blowin' The Blues Away

Horace Silver Quintet - Doin' The Thing [At The Village Gate] (1961)

This live set (recorded at the Village Gate) finds pianist/composer Horace Silver and his most acclaimed quintet (the one with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks) stretching out on four selections, including his new song "Filthy McNasty." Two shorter performances were added to the CD version of this enjoyable and always funky hard bop session. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Blue Note Records, 0946 3 62682 2 4, 2006
Recorded 19th & 20th May, 1961 at the Village Gate, New York City 

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Blue Mitchell - Trumpet
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone
Gene Taylor - Bass
Roy Brooks - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Filthy McNasty (11:02)
2. Doin' The Thing (11:16)
3. Kiss Me Right (9:18)
4. The Gringo / Cool Eyes [Theme] (12:03)
5. It Ain't S'Posed To Be Like That (6:21)
6. Cool Eyes [Full Version] (3:56) 

All Compositions by Horace Silver 

Total Time: 53:57 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Producer [Reissue] - Michael Cuscuna
Recording, Remastering - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover Photograph - Jim Marshall
Liner Photographs - Francis Wolff 

Furious live set that swings insanely hard. And I mean really, really hard. Silver's quartet at this time included Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Junior Cook (tenor sax), Gene Taylor (bass) and Roy Brooks (drums) and everyone but Brooks had been playing together since 1958 (he joined September 1959). Their dynamic chemistry is apparent within the first minute of "Filthy McNasty" and the energy level is just off the scale. These Guys Really Know How To Swing. Highlights? The whole damn album is a highlight. No wussy-pussy ballads or standards to be found, just four really great Silver originals. "Kiss Me Right" is the slowest thing on here and it's still pretty fast. The sound quality is decent for a live recording, the remastered CD may have cleaned that up. The extended applause after "Filthy" shows that the audience was at least somewhat aware that they were witnessing something special that night. ~ Extract by coolidge, rateyourmusic.com. 

Doin' The Thing

Horace Silver Quintet - 6 Pieces Of Silver {RVG} (1956,58)

The first classic album by the Horace Silver Quintet, this set is highlighted by "Señor Blues" and "Cool Eyes." The early Silver quintet of 1956 was essentially the Jazz Messengers of the year before, with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, and bassist Doug Watkins (while drummer Louis Hayes was in Blakey's place), but already the band was starting to develop a sound of its own. "Señor Blues" officially put Horace Silver on the map, and the album is a hard bop and gospel-tinged jazz gem. [Some reissues add bonus tracks, including two additional versions of "Señor Blues," including a later vocal rendition by Bill Henderson.]. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Blue Note Records, 5 25648 2 8, 2000
Recorded 10th November, 1956 (#1-8) & 15th November, 1958 (#9,10)
at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Donald Byrd - Trumpet (#1,2,4-6,8-10)
Hank Mobley - Tenor Saxophone (#1,2,4-6,8)
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#9,10)
Doug Watkins - Bass (#1-8)
Gene Taylor - Bass (#9,10)
Louis Hayes - Drums (#1-8)
Roy Haynes - Drums (#9,10)
Bill Henderson - Vocals (#10) 

Tracks:
01. Cool Eyes {Horace Silver} (5:55)
02. Shirl {Horace Silver} (4:16)
03. Camouflage {Horace Silver} (4:25)
04. Enchantment {Horace Silver} (6:22)
05. Señor Blues {Horace Silver} (7:01)
06. Virgo {Horace Silver} (5:48)
07. For Heaven's Sake {Elise Bretton, Donald Meyer, Edwards Sherman} (5:09) 

Bonus Tracks:
08. Señor Blues [Alternate 45 Take] {Horace Silver} (6:38)
09. Tippin' {Horace Silver} (6:12)
10. Señor Blues [Vocal Version] {Horace Silver} (6:14) 

Total Time: 58:05 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Recording, Remastering - Rudy van Gelder
Liner Notes - Bob Blumenthal, Leonard Feather
Creative Director - Gordon H. Jee
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover & Liner Photos - Francis Wolff 

Señor Blues

Neal Creque - Creque (1972) [vinyl]

Creque is the 3rd album I’ve bought from this keys player. Bassist Gene Taylor starts things off with a grooving open bass line leading into a bit of an off-kilter song called Rafiki. Sis Daisy is a light and upbeat soul-jazz number with some nice congas by Richard “Pablo” Landrum. What’cha Call It is a slow and bluesy number that would make a nice listen when you’re in the right mood. ~ Soulstrut.com.

Cobblestone Records, CST 9005, 1972

Muse Records, MR 5226, 1976

Recorded at RCA Recording Studio, New York City

Musicians:

Neal Creque - Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Clavinet

Billy Butler - Guitar

Alfred Brown - Violin

Kermit Moore - Cello

Gene Taylor - Bass, Fender Bass

Steve Berrios - Drums, Tympani

Julian Barber - Drums

Richard Landrum - Conga, Bongos, African Oboe, Misc. Percussion

Selwart Clarke - Misc. Percussion

Jackie Soul & Johnny Gittens - Misc. Percussion

+

Strings

The Ikinen Singers (#A2)

Tracks:

A1. Rafiki (4:57)

A2. Years Of Regret (4:29)

A3. Sis Daisy (4:34)

A4. Nina (4:38)

B1. What'Cha Call It (5:02)

B2. Black Velvet Rose (4:28)

B3. Cease The Bombing (4:56)

B4. Before The Rain Came (5:41)

All Compositions by Neal Creque

Credits:

Producer, Design, Photography - Don Schlitten

A&R Coordinator, Liner Notes - Joe Fields

Recording Engineer - Paul Goodman

Note:

Released on Cobblestone Records, and reissued January, 1976 on Muse Records as "Black Velvet Rose".