Blowin the Blues Away [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Horace Silver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000I41H
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,570 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Bebop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Recorded in 1959, this is an early chronicle of one of the finest bands of the hard-bop genre, pianist Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. The group already epitomized Silver's own virtues of precision and hard swing, with each soloist committed to direct and concise statements, at all times both emotionally and musically focused. There's effective contrast, too, between Mitchell's subtle turn of phrase and Cook's raw intensity, each filling in Silver's vision of a music that combined the complexity of bop and the immediacy of blues and gospel. This session contains the original recordings of two Silver standards, the serene "Peace" and the joyously funky "Sister Sadie," but the collective impact of the band is just as enduring. The group was so musically close-knit that when Silver disbanded five years later, the rest continued as the Blue Mitchell Quintet, with a young Chick Corea on piano. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

Everyone's favorite Horace Silver record featured the classic quintet with Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook. The title tune, the beautiful ballad "Peace" and the soulful "Sister Sadie" are now standards in the jazz canon. Even given Silver's astonishing track record, this one stands out.

Includes 1 bonus track

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guaranteed to cheer you up, April 21, 2002

By 

G B (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blowin the Blues Away (Audio CD)

Song for My Father usually gets the nod as Horace Silver's best album in the post-Jazz Messenger days, but for my money there's simply no competition. Blowin' the Blues Away lines up song after song of punchy, upbeat hard bop, with melodies that will stay stuck in your head for days on end and grooves that run three feet into the floor. The feisty front line of Junior Cook and Blue Mitchell are at their most inspired, and every tune is chock-full of Horace's funky, soulful piano playing. Just give "Sister Sadie" a spin and you'll know what I mean.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silver achieves gold!, November 8, 1999

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blowin the Blues Away (Audio CD)

Can it really be over forty years since this excellent example of Horace Silver's music was recorded? This has everything. The Trio as well as the Quintet with the greatest tenor player, Junior Cook. The music with the driving title track, the stirring Sister Sadie and the wonderful track which is so aptly entitled "Peace". Possibly the best that Horace Silver has recorded? Whether it is or not, this CD spends as much time on my player as the original LP did 30+ years ago. Wonderful music by one of the greats of jazz.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Bop "Must Have" Album, November 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Blowin the Blues Away (Audio CD)

This is my favorite Horace Silver album, with The Hardbop Grandpop and several others close behind. This album has some great tunes that really move, such as the title tune, Break City and Sister Sadie. Sister Sadie alone is worth the price of the CD. The "slower" tunes are still inventive and lively, with room for the musicians to stretch out and shine. I also like Silver's better known "Song for my Father" album, but Blowin' The Blues Away is still his best. Give it a listen and if the few short samples don't do it justice, just buy it!