Live At Newport '58

Performer: Horace Silver
Engineer: Adjutor Theroux; Bud Graham
Producer: Michael Cuscuna
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Louis Smith (trumpet); Gene Taylor (acoustic bass); Louis Hayes (drums). Composer and pianist Horace Silver was one of the leading lights of the post-bop movement, and LIVE AT NEWPORT '58 captures him in his prime. Leading a crack quintet (which includes trumpeter Louis Smith and saxophonist Junior Cook) through four slinking, swinging tunes, Silver turns in a wonderful set. The set opens with "Tippin'," a hard swinger, then segues to "The Outlaw," a composition in the classic Silver mode, incorporating exotic rhythms, complex melodic leads, and deep grooves. "Senor Blues," a cool-toned blues, and "Cool Eyes," a frenetic bop workout, are equally impressive. The tunes are extended, and feature plenty of top-flight improvisation from the musicians, making for a memorable live date worth picking up.

Rolling Stone (p.58) - "[A] surprise from Silver's early prime....[With] Silver leading a quintet in dynamic expansions of four tunes, including the cool brass glide and staccato-piano bite of 'Senor Blues.'" Uncut (p.93) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "This exquisitely recorded set from the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival documents the founding father of funky hard bop inventing a genre as he goes along..." Down Beat (p.86) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] consistent level of quality is evident throughout....It's a road band with tight ensemble work, vigorous solos, a cohesive rhythm section and a driving sound." Mojo (Publisher) (p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Silver and his confreres are in tip-top form, delivering sizzling renditions of 'Tippin'' and the classic 'Senor Blues'."

Pianist and composer Horace Silver was, along with Art Blakey, one of the primary instigators of the hard-bop jazz movement of the 1950s. Silver turned a limited piano technique to his advantage, welding simple but memorable phrases to driving, muscular rhythms, molding a style whose influence has only grown stronger with the years.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5