Amoeba Music

Comments:
Review
Horace Silver’s most popular album – indeed, one of jazz’s most popular releases – was actually cobbled together with two different bands at three different dates over two years during a transitional phase for the famous pianist and composer. Half of the 10 tracks feature Silver’s long-running and rock-solid quintet of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist Junior Cook, and Gene Taylor (bass) and Roy Brooks (drums) as the rhythm section; they comprised the first two sessions recorded three months apart. Eleven months after the first one, the third session introduced a new Silver quintet that included the frontline of Joe Henderson on tenor and West coast trumpeter Carmell Jones, with Teddy Smith (bass) and Roger Humphries (drums) providing the beat. It’s Henderson who delivers the most memorable solo on the most memorable cut, a slinky, Brazilian-flavored composition so catchy Steely Dan borrowed its iconic opening bass line (for “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”) and Stevie Wonder the opening horn riff (for “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”). Every nuance and beat on the title track is right where it should be, but Henderson’s perfectly integrated solo steals the show without hijacking the song. Instead, he rides Silver’s funky fills and the rhythm section’s hard groove to more urgent heights with each bar, enveloping the listener in torrents of notes before placing them gently back down into the theme. The same lineup takes “The Natives Are Restless Tonight” at a reckless pace, Jones and Henderson delivering blistering, just-this-side-of-skronk solos, with Silver showing off his amazing dexterity and swing at even the fastest tempos. “Que Pasa?” returns to the Brazil-flavored vibe but in a more exotic, laid-back manner here, Humphries’ tom-fills among the many highlights (there’s a shorter trio version – one of two with “Lonely Woman” -- with the original rhythm section included here as well). Henderson brought his own smoker, “The Kicker,” and the band again delivers a high-speed masterpiece of aggression and cool. Silver’s original quintet certainly doesn’t embarrass itself in the comparison, even if it lacks a bit of the excitement that any new band (at least a good one) gets from playing together fresh. The synergy between Mitchell and Cook makes the exotic theme of “Calcutta Cutie” really stand out, and greases up the slow slinky numbers “Sanctimonious Sam” and “Sighin’ and Cryin’,” while Brooks and Taylor push Silver and the horns on the oddly self-referential “Silver Treads Among My Soul.” Only the first six of these 10 tracks were included on the original release, but the addition of these four extras doesn’t diminish the impact of Silver’s strongest release -- rarely has a transitional record sounded this cohesive.
-John Schacht

Comments: Hole punch through back  cover.

Review
Horace Silver’s most popular album – indeed, one of jazz’s most popular releases – was actually cobbled together with two different bands at three different dates over two years during a transitional phase for the famous pianist and composer. Half of the 10 tracks feature Silver’s long-running and rock-solid quintet of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist Junior Cook, and Gene Taylor (bass) and Roy Brooks (drums) as the rhythm section; they comprised the first two sessions recorded three months apart. Eleven months after the first one, the third session introduced a new Silver quintet that included the frontline of Joe Henderson on tenor and West coast trumpeter Carmell Jones, with Teddy Smith (bass) and Roger Humphries (drums) providing the beat. It’s Henderson who delivers the most memorable solo on the most memorable cut, a slinky, Brazilian-flavored composition so catchy Steely Dan borrowed its iconic opening bass line (for “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”) and Stevie Wonder the opening horn riff (for “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”). Every nuance and beat on the title track is right where it should be, but Henderson’s perfectly integrated solo steals the show without hijacking the song. Instead, he rides Silver’s funky fills and the rhythm section’s hard groove to more urgent heights with each bar, enveloping the listener in torrents of notes before placing them gently back down into the theme. The same lineup takes “The Natives Are Restless Tonight” at a reckless pace, Jones and Henderson delivering blistering, just-this-side-of-skronk solos, with Silver showing off his amazing dexterity and swing at even the fastest tempos. “Que Pasa?” returns to the Brazil-flavored vibe but in a more exotic, laid-back manner here, Humphries’ tom-fills among the many highlights (there’s a shorter trio version – one of two with “Lonely Woman” -- with the original rhythm section included here as well). Henderson brought his own smoker, “The Kicker,” and the band again delivers a high-speed masterpiece of aggression and cool. Silver’s original quintet certainly doesn’t embarrass itself in the comparison, even if it lacks a bit of the excitement that any new band (at least a good one) gets from playing together fresh. The synergy between Mitchell and Cook makes the exotic theme of “Calcutta Cutie” really stand out, and greases up the slow slinky numbers “Sanctimonious Sam” and “Sighin’ and Cryin’,” while Brooks and Taylor push Silver and the horns on the oddly self-referential “Silver Treads Among My Soul.” Only the first six of these 10 tracks were included on the original release, but the addition of these four extras doesn’t diminish the impact of Silver’s strongest release -- rarely has a transitional record sounded this cohesive.
-John Schacht