Customer Reviews

A Prescription for the Blues

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Horace Silver has recorded in all sorts of styles. What commends this album is the unbridled nature of his piano playing, where it sounds as though he enjoyed getting funky on the session. The real bonus, however, is the appearance of the Brecker brothers who take every opportunity to push themselves and Silver into extended solos. Randy Brecker's trumpet is at times as unrestrained as I can remember him playing in recent years. Add to that the rhythm section of Ron Carter on Bass and Louis Hayes on drums, and the quintet really cooks on the up-tempo numbers. If you're looking for a "different" Horace Silver then this album could be for you!

The tunes and arrangements on this album all are by Horace Silver, and all are engaging. He plays piano with a big sound, very often just chords. The band he assembled for this date could hardly be bettered. Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker team up to produce some luscious sounding but intricate duos, and Michael's solos are especially fine--harmonically inventive and technically thrilling. Ron Carter is his usual elegant and perceptive self, adding a grace note to the splendid ensemble. This is hard driving music that is not afraid to take a look at itself and smile. The sound engineering is brilliant, among the best I've ever heard on a jazz recording. I have no idea why this is out of print.

What else can I say? I reserve 5's for complete knockdown landmark recordings. While not that, this fresh work shows Horace is still writing excellent material and the band packs a wallop. Enjoy!!

Not really sure what happened here. Billed as a reunion with esteemed past members of the Horace Silver Quintet (especially the Brecker Brothers), this CD disappoints. The batch of tunes Horace assembled is quite undistinguished, mostly simple blues forms with some hesitant soloing by the leader. Each tune seems like a pastiche of a real Silver song.

Obviously, he was told there would be no vocalizing this time out, even though he had written a complete batch of lyrics. Was Horace disappointed? Resentful? I also think that symptoms of his later affliction may have begun to appear.