Customer Reviews

In Pursuit of the 27th Man

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD offers a glimpse of Horace's '70s work, and he sticks to what he does best. The album sounds a bit different than most Van Gelder recordings, probably due to updated recording equipment and the overall '70s vibe. But the songs are good, especially "Liberated Brother" which has an awesome groove laid down by Mickey Roker. Hey, it may not be one of his classics, but if you are a Horace fan you won't be disappointed with this CD. Nice to see Blue Note reissuing some of the obscure stuff.

This recording seems far removed from the "Song For My Father" Horace we are all familiar with. This music sounds much more serious and spacial at times. The sound reminds me of one of those dark days in the city where it looks like evening when it's really only noon. It looks as if it's going to rain, like the calm before the storm.
David Friedman's vibraphone adds a strange sense of introspection to the few cuts that he performs on. Randy Brecker's trumpet cuts through Silver's keys like lightning. Fans of the finger snappin' dance-able Horace may want to listen to the audio-clips first. I personally wouldn't suggest missing this exceptional date with Horace - even if he's in a bad mood.

I've always been partial to Horace's 70s output, work that combines fresh presentations with more adventurous harmonics. While kind of a forgotten record (stuck in that bad-old late 60's jazz limbo) this CD is a great example of how Horace stretched himself, and the receptive listener too.

Featuring five fresh Silver compositions and two imports that he easily made his own, the key tonal difference here is the presence of Friedman's vibes on four cuts. "Summer", a rare Silver waltz, glistens with beautiful warm-weather chords, while "Strange Vibes" lays down a mean misterioso groove. The fast-mambo title cut drives with incredible momentum, alternating Latin and swing.

The quintet cuts are a little more conventional Horace. The Irvine cut is a joyous Latin number, a great way to kick off the disc, while "Nothing" is straight down the middle of the Horace fairway. "Gregory", after his new-born son, is simply one of the 4 or 5 greatest Horace Silver compositions of all time, inventive, exciting (Latin again) and rewarding.

Horace Silver wouldn't return to the recording studio for an unbelieveable 750 days (I counted) with the monumental Silver 'n Brass LP. But I bet you could spin this one daily while you waited and never be bored.

Reviewer: Ken Seidman from Victoria, BC
This recording definitely has a bit of "showbiz" sheen to it, but, as another customer reviewer has said, it also has a dark day and mysterious depth to it that makes for an interesting tension. The soloing and ensemble work is immaculate throughout and I have always found it exceptionally accessible to the ear. It grabs you and doesn't let go. "Gregory is Here" should be singled out for its straight ahead and insistent joy (a quality of much of Horace's music!). The quiet tunes have a very special reflective feeling to them, almost trance like, much of course owing to the great vibes work. A wonderful record for musicians to learn from and for anyone to enjoy!

This recording definitely has a bit of "showbiz" sheen to it, but, as another customer reviewer has said, it also has a dark day and mysterious depth to it that makes for an interesting tension. The soloing and ensemble work is immaculate throughout and I have always found it exceptionally accessible to the ear. It grabs you and doesn't let go. "Gregory is Here" should be singled out for its straight ahead and insistent joy (a quality of much of Horace Silver's music!). The quiet tunes have a very special reflective feeling to them, almost trance like, much of course owing to the great vibes work. A wonderful record for musicians to learn from and for anyone to enjoy!

When I was a kid in Oakland in the early seventies, this was one of many jazz LP's in my dad's collection, but out of all of them, this album left the most lasting impression. As a pianist/keyboardist anyway, there was much to draw from off of this album.

With Horace already being one of the preminent jazz pianists on the scene at that time, this work can only be described as pure magic. Horace's easy-going bossa-nova style on the lead-off track "Liberated Brother" is like when Fred Astaire would dance on film. He made it look so easy, and likewise with Horace's technique on that track, he appears to make it sound so simple, but it's very intricate when you break down the execution.

Then you go to the smooth vibe work of David Friedman on "Kathy", you are immediately taken to another place. The smoothness continues with "Gregory Is Here", and the vibraphone gets even smoother (if that's even possible) on "Summer In Central Park"; and for those of you that have been there in the summer, it takes you right there.

With "Nothin' Can Stop Me Now", the title track "In Pursuit Of the 27th Man", and "Strange Vibes", this collection is rounded out in such a versatile way; starting smooth and easy, into the more hardcore bop that only Horace could provide. We also cannot forget the mighty Brecker Brothers providing the horns and winds on the whole project, which again just made a sweet project even sweeter.

With so many pseudo-jazz artists out there today, do yourself a favor and take a step back to something real and fresh...with this CD. It has never sounded better than in the digital format, and even 35 years later this album STILL holds up strong...yet smooth and easy like Horace. - JC

....and you will realize that with this recording, Horace Silver , (one of the most "famous" veteranos of the "soul jazz" movement, and Art Blakey alum) was beginning to move on from the constraints of that "genre" and pursue his spiritual side and enchantment with different textures on this and future recordings.

This recording was virtually ignored when released, my "guess",
a) the Blue Note label was moving towards some more commercial sounds(culminating with releases from Bobbi Humphrey and Donald Byrd's extra-commercial offerings...)Jazz in general was going through "hard times" and at the time, you might think it almost "did not exist". "Thanks"(NO thanks, really..) to rock and soul/funk musics , it was "beyond" on the back burner in those days .....ih!..

b) the somewhat ridiculous cover concept, not really a Blue Note highlight for a label "known" for the coverarts...This cover , for my impression made it appear that Horace Silver also was "crossing over", NOT the case and I am GLAD I heard the LP and bought it back then!

c) can I say this(??),most probably quasi-racista attitudes because Horace fields a front line of the Brecker brothers(tenor/trumpet) and Dave Friedman(vibes)instead of the "usual" hard bop stable of músicos. Racistas come in ALL forms, and this is a shame.. I need not elaborate........

This recording features a FANTASTIC version of Moacir Santos' lovely 5/4 time "Kathy", it floats with the same Brasilian feeling Mestre Santos envisioned.(Horace Silver is descendent of Cabo Verde islands, former Português colony...)

"Gregory is Here" the "suspended" feeling in the composition accurately heralds the joy of the birth of Mr Silver's child.

"in Pursuit..", "Summer...", and "Strange Vibes" have a more post -Coltrane feeling to them, impressionistic and dark in the mode of Mr Silver's famous ballad "Peace".

The blues based things bore me, but young jazz musicians and anyone NOT tires as I am of the "blues" idioma will be quite satisfied.

Excellent solo from ALL,including Horace Silver's trademark highly singable piano.

Not to be forgotten, and hoping the track "Kathy" will spur those NOT familiar with Moacir Santos to discover his musics also,Moacir "earned" a contract with Blue Note not long after Mr Siver recorded Kathy, If my memory serves....!

Bravo Horace Silver !