He is known for his distinctive humorous and funky playing style, and for his pioneering contributions to hard bop. Silver was influenced by a wide range of musical styles, notably gospel music, African music, and Latin American music. Silver began his career as a saxophonist, but later switched to piano. His playing was highly influenced by the style of Bud Powell.
Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva was born to a Cape Verdean father of mixed Portuguese-black descent and a mother of Irish and African descent in Norwalk, Connecticut.
He was discovered in a Hartford, Connecticut club by saxophonist Stan Getz. He moved to New York, where he teamed with Art Blakey. In 1952 and 1953 he recorded three sessions with his own trio, featuring Blakey on drums and Gene Ramey, Curly Russell and Percy Heath subsequently taking up the bass. The drummer-pianist team lasted for four years; during this time, Silver and Blakey recorded at Birdland (A Night at Birdland, Blue Note) with Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson, at the Bohemia with Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley, and finally - in the studios. One of the studio albums was the famous The Jazz Messengers.
During Silver's time with Blakey he rarely recorded as a leader, but having split with him in 1956, he formed his own hard bop quintet, at first featuring the same lineup as Blakey's Jazz Messengers, with 18-year-old Louis Hayes subbing for Blakey.
From 1956 onwards, Silver recorded exclusively for Blue Note, eventually becoming close to label boss Alfred Lion, who allowed him greater input on aspects of album production than was usual at the time. During his years with Blue Note, Silver helped to create the rhythmically forceful branch of jazz known as "hard bop", which combined elements of rhythm-and-blues and gospel music with jazz. Gospel elements are particularly prominent on one of his biggest hits, "The Preacher", which Lion thought corny, but which Silver persuaded him to record.
While Silver's compositions at this time featured surprising tempo shifts and a range of melodic ideas, they caught the attention of a wide audience. His own piano playing easily shifted from aggressively percussive to lushly romantic within just a few bars. At the same time, his sharp use of repetition was funky even before that word could be used in polite company. Along with Silver's own work, his bands often featured such rising jazz stars as saxophonists Junior Cook and Hank Mobley, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and drummer Louis Hayes. Silver's key albums from this period include Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1955), 6 Pieces of Silver (1956) and Blowin' the Blues Away (1959), which includes his famous "Sister Sadie". He also combined jazz with a sassy take on pop through the hit "Filthy McNasty" (1961).
In 1963 Silver created a new group featuring Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone and Carmell Jones on trumpet; this quintet recorded most of Silver's best-known album Song for My Father. When Jones left to settle in Europe, the trumpet chair was filled by a young Woody Shaw and Tyrone Washington replaced Henderson.
As social and cultural upheavals shook the nation during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Silver responded to these changes through music. He commented directly on the new scene through a trio of records much later collected together under the title The United States of Mind (1970–72) that featured the spirited vocals of Andy Bey. The composer got deeper into cosmic philosophy as his group, Silver 'N Strings, recorded Silver 'N Strings Play The Music of the Spheres (1979).
Silver tended not to play up that he was proficient in Portuguese, nor draw directly on his rich Lusophone musical upbringing. His 1965 hit, "Cape Verdean Blues", is the only clear rhythmic reference to his childhood home where his father and friends jammed, with traditional Capeverdean morna and coladeira as the main fare. In the interview for the liner notes to 1964's Song for My Father (Cantiga Para Meu Pai), however, Silver remarked of the title track, "This tune is an original of mine, but it has a flavor of it that makes me think of my childhood days. Some of the family, including my father and my uncle, used to have musical parties with three or four stringed instruments; my father played violin and guitar. Those were happy, informal sessions." Silver melded additional Lusophone influences into his music directly after his February 1964 tour of Brazil. Referring to "Song for My Father", Silver said, "I was very much impressed by the authentic bossa nova beat. Not just the monotonous tick-tick-tick, tick-tick, the way it's usually done, but the real bossa nova feeling, which I've tried to incorporate into this number."
His early influences included the styles of boogie-woogie and the blues. It includes but is not limited to Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, and Thelonious Monk. He liked to quote other musicians within his own work and would often recreate famous solos in his original pieces as something of a tribute to the greats who influenced him.
Silver's compositions, catchy and very strong harmonically, gained popularity while his band gradually switched to funk and soul. This change of style was not readily accepted by many long-time fans. The quality of several albums of this era, such as the The United States of Mind sequence (on which Silver himself provided vocals on several tracks), is to this day contested by critics. Silver's spirituality displayed on these albums also has a mixed reputation. Silver was the last musician to be signed to Blue Note in the 1970s before it went into temporary hiatus. In 1981 he formed his own short-lived labels, Silveto and Emerald.
After Silver's long tenure with Blue Note ended, he continued to create vital music. The 1985 album Continuity of Spirit (Silveto) features his unique orchestral collaborations. In the 1990s, he directly answered the urban popular music that had been largely built from his influence on It's Got To Be Funky (Columbia, 1993). Living surrounded by a devoted family in California, Silver has received much of the recognition due a venerable jazz icon. In 2005, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) gave him its President's Merit Award. The SFJAZZ Collective focused on Silver's music for their 2010 season.
Silver died of natural causes in New Rochelle, New York, on June 18, 2014. He was 85.
Silver's music has been a major force in modern jazz. He was one of the first pioneers of the style known as hard bop, influencing such pianists as Bobby Timmons, Les McCann, and Ramsey Lewis.
Nor did Silver's talent go unnoticed among rock musicians who bore jazz influences: Steely Dan sent Silver into the Top 40 in the early 1970s when they crafted their biggest hit single, "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number", off the bass riff that opens "Song for My Father".
Day In Day Out
Horace Silver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That same old voodoo follows me about
That same old pounding in my heart, whenever I think of you
And baby I think of you
Day in and day out
Day out, day in
I needn't tell you how my days begin
One possibility in view
That possibility of maybe seeing you
Come rain, come shine
I meet you and to me the day is fine
Then I kiss your lips, and the pounding becomes
An oceans roar, a thousand drums
Can't you see it's love, can there be any doubt
When there it is, day in, day out
Day in Day Out is a song written by the famous jazz musician Horace Silver in 1957. The song is a powerful ballad that expresses the emotional turmoil of a person who is going through a relationship that is both passionate and tumultuous. The lyrics talk about the constant presence of a person's thoughts, emotions, and feelings that keep on haunting them, making them unable to forget the pain and love associated with the relationship.
The opening lines "Day in, day out, that same old voodoo follows me about" are a clear representation of the impact that love has on an individual's life. The phrase "same old voodoo" is a euphemism for the power that love holds over an individual. The lyrics evoke a feeling of pain and longing, as the singer is unable to escape the hold that love has over them. The imagery of the "pounding in my heart whenever I think of you" shows the emotional turmoil that the singer is going through.
In the second stanza, the lyrics depict the singer's obsession with their love interest. It talks about the singer's daily routine, which revolves around the possibility of seeing their love interest. The phrase "I needn't tell you how my days begin" expresses the singer's eagerness to wake up early, just to have a chance of seeing their loved one. The lyrics also indicate that the singer is willing to face any challenge, whether it is the rain or shine, just to be close to the person they love.
The song's closing verse is a powerful expression of the power of love. The singer's unconditional love for their partner is reflected in the line "Can't you see it's love, can there be any doubt, when there it is, day in, day out." The phrase "oceans roar, a thousand drums" is a metaphor for the magnitude of the love that the singer feels for their partner. The song's lyrics end with a feeling of happiness, indicating that the singer is willing to face any challenge just to be with their love interest.
Line by Line Meaning
Day in, day out
I am constantly dealing with the same feelings and emotions
That same old voodoo follows me about
I am still under the spell of you and our love
That same old pounding in my heart, whenever I think of you
My heart races every time I simply think about you
And baby I think of you
You're always on my mind
Day in and day out
This is a constant cycle, repeating endlessly
Day out, day in
Even when I'm not with you, you're still on my mind
I needn't tell you how my days begin
You already know that I wake up thinking about you
When I awake I get up with a tingle
I am filled with anticipation for the possibility of seeing you
One possibility in view
All I can think about is the chance of being with you
That possibility of maybe seeing you
This is what drives me through each day
Come rain, come shine
No matter what the circumstances, seeing you makes my day
I meet you and to me the day is fine
Simply being in your presence makes everything worthwhile
Then I kiss your lips, and the pounding becomes
When we share a kiss, my heart beats like never before
An oceans roar, a thousand drums
The intensity of my feelings cannot be ignored
Can't you see it's love, can there be any doubt
I hope you know that my feelings for you run deep
When there it is, day in, day out
This love will continue, day after day, without end
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Rube Bloom
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind