Jody Grind

Horace Silver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 13, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005HD5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,930 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #59 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Bebop

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 13-AUG-1991

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sterling Silver, July 15, 2000

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jody Grind (Audio CD)

Silver's bands, like Art Blakey's, served -- and is still serving -- as one of the great training grounds for young jazz musicians in the '60s. "The Jody Grind" features a youthful Woody Shaw joining his brash trumpet sound with the fiery James Spaulding on alto and flute and the forgotten (unfortunately) Tyrone Washington, who contributes a hard-edged tenor. Silver, as usual, composed all the tunes, and nearly all of them are memorable.

Silver is a master at stripping melodies and rhythms down to their essentials. But that doesn't mean that his tunes are simplistic. For example, the great "Mexican Hat Dance," as the title suggests, cooks up a spicy Latin beat that is very hummable. After you listen to it a few times, though, you realize that the infectious melody is composed of some tricky twists and turns that the horn players negotiate flawlessly.

In fact, Silver makes it look easy on the whole release, effortlessly spinning off melodies and riffs in his soloing and catching you with an irresistible hook on every tune, from the funk of "Grease Piece" to the elegant sophistication of "Blue Silver." Forty minutes go by in a flash.

The entire band responds eloquently under Silver's leadership. In fact, another major strength of the release is the contrast of sounds in the horns. Shaw is hard-edged and fluid on trumpet; Spaulding edgy on alto and mellow on flute; and Washington digs deeply into the hard bop bag with a soulful tenor.

All of Silver's Blue Note work is worth owning, but "The Jody Grind," for my money, represents one of his most consistent and satisfying efforts. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grand master of hard bop!, December 19, 2002

By 

James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jody Grind (Audio CD)

Horace Silver is in full flight on the "Jody Grind." He is one of the grand masters of hard bop, and it is little wonder that so much of his music has been used in "acid jazz." Silver has had a very prolific career, starting with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and evolving into one of the prime figures in jazz. Silver draws from a wide variety of sources, but lurking in the background seems to be his Cape Verdean roots. There is a loose quality to his music that is very appealling, and it is so easy to be drawn into his sinuous sounds.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silver's Gold, May 22, 2001

By 

Roy Batty (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jody Grind (Audio CD)

This is the HS album I find myself listening to the most. Its funky, infectious groove belies the rhythmic and melodic complexity (par for the Silver course, but even more so on this album). It's both energetic and complex, which explains Silver's success with critics and novice jazz lovers alike. If, like me, you grew up with Charlie Brown specials on TV, and your appreciation of jazz began with the music you heard there (Vince Guaraldi, God rest his soul) then this album will knock you out. It practically defines the "hard bop" sound. Do your soul a favor and get this album.