Song For My Father [Remaster]

Performer: Harold Vick/Horace Silver
Artist: Grant Green; Joe Henderson; Blue Mitchell; John Patton
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Producer: Alfred Lion
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Harold Vick (tenor saxophone); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); John Patton (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Ben Dixon (drums). This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series. The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of SONG FOR MY FATHER includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal. Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Carmell Jones, Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Joe Henderson, Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Teddy Smith, Gene Taylor (bass); Roger Humphries, Roy Brooks (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey on October 31, 1963, January 28, 1964 and October 26, 1964. Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather. Digitally remastered by Rudy Van Gelder. This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series. One of Blue Note's greatest mainstream hard bop dates, Song for My Father is Horace Silver's signature LP and the peak of a discography already studded with classics. Silver was always a master at balancing jumping rhythms with complex harmonies for a unique blend of earthiness and sophistication, and Song for My Father has perhaps the most sophisticated air of all his albums. Part of the reason is the faintly exotic tint that comes from Silver's flowering fascination with rhythms and modes from overseas -- the bossa nova beat of the classic "Song for My Father," for example, or the Eastern-flavored theme of "Calcutta Cutie," or the tropical-sounding rhythms of "Que Pasa?" Subtle touches like these alter Silver's core sound just enough to bring out its hidden class, which is why the album has become such a favorite source of upscale ambience. Song for My Father was actually far less focused in its origins than the typical Silver project; it dates from the period when Silver was disbanding his classic quintet and assembling a new group, and it features performances from both bands (and, on the CD reissue with bonus tracks, three different sessions). Still, it hangs together remarkably well, and Silver's writing is at its tightest and catchiest. The title cut became Silver's best-known composition, partly because it provided the musical basis for jazz-rock group Steely Dan's biggest pop hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Another hard bop standard is introduced here in the lone non-Silver tune, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's "The Kicker," covered often for the challenge of its stuttering phrases and intricate rhythms. Yet somehow it comes off as warm and inviting as the rest of the album, which is necessary for all jazz collections -- mainstream hard bop rarely comes as good as Song for My Father. ~ Steve Huey This soul-jazz outing by tenor saxophonist Harold Vick (his recording debut as a leader) casts him in a role that was often occupied by Stanley Turrentine. Vick, with a quintet that also includes trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist Grant Green, organist John Patton, and drummer Ben Dixon, performs four blues, a slightly trickier original (five of the six songs are his), plus the ballad "Laura" on this CD reissue. There are no real surprises, but no disappointments either on what would be Harold Vick's only chance to lead a Blue Note date. At 27 he was already a fine player. ~ Scott Yanow Yet another jazz steal; this time, Steely Dan borrowed the title track for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Horace Silver should take heart, this is his most successful album and one that finds its way onto many recommended lists, not just for the jazz fraternity. Its strength is its accessibility, and in keeping with many piano leader albums Silver does not seek to dominate. The reissued CD version contains four extra tracks from the same 1963/4 sessions.

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