Finger Poppin [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Horace Silver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 28, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00007KMNQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,997 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Bebop

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hard bop at its zenith, January 29, 2003

By 

Stan J. (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finger Poppin (Audio CD)

This was the first record cut by Silver's famous Blue Mitchell/Junior Cook quintet. It features 8 originals from Horace, which probably aren't his most memorable compositions but are excellent vehicles for showcasing the band. The rhythm section takes off like a rocket from the opening notes of the first cut and you know you're in for a treat. Young Louis Hayes is a loud, flashy drummer somewhat similar to Philly Joe Jones, and Silver is in a swaggering mood with his lightning-fast, funky piano riffs. The exciting interplay between horns and rhythm section reminds me of the "Milestones" LP from Miles Davis, which Horace probably regarded as his competition.

It sounds like the musicians had played these tunes dozens of times before this date and pretty much knew what they wanted to say, and they probably did. Mitchell's solos in particular are almost too perfect. I don't think of him as a great ballad player, but he does a fine job delivering "You happened my way", one of two ballads on the album (and incidentally a very fine tune). This album has been out of print for awhile (I have the original transfer) so the re-release with the benefit of remastering is an event. If you like Blue Note recordings and don't have this record, you'll want to pick it up.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finger Poppin' still retains it's timeless quality, March 17, 2010

By 

M. Cryer (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finger Poppin (Audio CD)

One reviewer wrote that Horace is often dismissed for his simplistic style. I think the simple tunes are harder to write and if those tunes are still awesome and fresh sounding 50 years after they were recorded you have a rare gem on your hands.

Finger Poppin' is that kind of album. I think the reasons it's still popular and memorable among jazz collectors is because it's easy to get into and even easier to enjoy.

Juicy Lucy is probably the best known track on the album and it is a personal favorite of mine. It's not a blues but it's a tune who's chord progressions are based upon Charlie Parker's tune confirmation (Such tunes are called 'heads'). Be sure to listen for some awesome solos here.

Swingin' The Samba is a very nice tune with a latin groove that'll get you moving. The ending unison phrase at the end is worth listening for.

You Happened My Way is a beautiful ballad expertly performed by Blue Mitchell and listen for Junior Cook's smoking solo in this tune.

Another reviewer stated that Blue's solos sounded worked out in advance. Often in sessions many artists will write out their solos(or at least some main themes or ideas). There's nothing wrong with this especially considering the fact that you'll have to hear it forever once the record is cut.

Blue Note artists tended to practice harder for their sessions which explains why they have a highly polished sound to them. Finger Poppin' is an excellent album that is a blue note classic which I hope that you will enjoy. I highly recommend you also check out Horace's other albums with this quintet such as Blowin' The Blues Away, Paris Blues and The Jody Grind among others.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All jazz "sophisticates" and Silver detractors--listen up!, March 20, 2009

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finger Poppin (Audio CD)

"Finger Poppin'" (1959) followed Silver's most under-appreciated (and perhaps most ambitious) Blue Note date, "Further Explorations" (1958). The cast is different (though the fiery Louis Hayes remains on drums), but the compositions and arrangements by Silver are no less artful and the soloists as inspired as the frontline of Art Farmer and Clifford Jordan from the preceding album. This time it's Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook negotiating the fast tempos and tricky stop-and-go melodies with precision and ease, with Mitchell impressively setting the pace with the first solo on the date. He's crisp, lyrical, inventive, melodic--reminiscent of Kenny Dorham with a fuller sound--and Junior Cook takes his cue accordingly, delivering a solo that's almost as melodically arresting as an inspired Hank Mobley construction. Both soloists employ the too-rare practice of "listening to themselves," repeating and modifying their phrases while developing whole structures at top speed as opposed to letting fly with a stream of bebop cliches.

Besides "Finger Poppin'" the program has one other indispensable Silver standard, a number that's infectious if not irresistible in its communication of a visceral groove: "Come On Home" (Lambert, Hendricks and Ross would add lyrics and re-record the tune). But this album will strike some listeners as atypical Silver. There are lots of quiet moods, ample space allocated to each of the soloists, and a willingness to go beyond the formulaic, hard-driving and boppish, frequently "danceable" miniature gems with which the composer is primarily associated. (I know some jazz devotees who, because of such unsophisticated, "limited" qualities, consider Horace's records a waste of time and money.) But the arrangements on this occasion have some of the complexity and sophistication of earlier Silver masterpieces like "Ecarole" and "Moon Rays," stylings reflective of the creative (even Ellingtonian) side of Silver which, unfortunately, became less apparent beginning in the 1960s and especially after simpler fare like "Song for My Father" (1964) proved a commercial formula that could best serve to keep tiny Blue Note records financially solvent (though it should be noted that the operation folded within several years after such Blue Note blockbusters as the aforementioned and Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder" (and its numerous imitations).

Thanks to the eventual purchase of the label by mega-conglomerate EMI, "Blue Note" still lives on at least in name, but it's albums like "Finger Poppin'" that testify not merely to its commercial niche but its invaluable contributions to a vibrant American art form in full bloom.