Horace Silver (September 2, 1928 - June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pian… Read Full Bio ↴Horace Silver (September 2, 1928 - June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
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".
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".
Que Pasa
Horace Silver Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Que Pasa' by these artists:
Alex Campos Que pasa por tu silencio Que pasa por tu suspiro Que pasa,…
Alvaro Soler Que pasa porque anda por la playa Con tristeza en su…
Armin van Buuren What's happening with you? What's on your mind? I know you w…
Armin van Buuren & D'Angello & Francis Que pasa? Que pasa? Que pasa contigo? No me digas Que tu no …
Armin van Buuren feat. D'Angello & Francis Que pasa? Que pasa? Que pasa contigo? No me digas Que tú no…
Armin van Buuren feat. DAngello & Francis Que pasa? Que pasa? Que pasa contigo? No me digas Que tu no …
Axell Allô, que pasa? Mio frèro è dentro una gabbia Allô, que pasa…
BIG-J Yeah La Fogata JCJ Yeah Yo hago mi propio dinero Y ha…
canteca de macao Qué es lo que pasa, Qué es lo que pasa! Que…
Cherry-Merry Cuando la gente me pregunta, le respondo con calma ¡La amig…
Club Rayo Ya tuvimos la oportunidad de saber lo que nos podía pasar ah…
D'Angello & Francis Que pasa? Que pasa? Que pasa contigo? No me digas Que tu no …
D.J. Bass Qué me pasa ... qué te…
Doll Kill [Verse 1] Buchi nel cervello un tarlo Stai sui tuoi passi di…
dueto blanco y negro Que pasa yo no se que pasa Entre nuestras vidas Y si…
Fania All-Stars ¿Baby que te pasa no lo puedo entender? Tuviste algun proble…
federico scavo ¿Qué pasa, qué pasa? ¿Qué pasa, qué pasa? ¿Qué pasa, qué pas…
Fiatal Veterán Yeah, que pasa Szo-szoszi que pasa Ba-baszd be a zenémet Ind…
Gaturro Soy un raton poco habitual me gusta cantar, me gusta…
Ghita Lahmamssi Khass t3ich khoya fi la guerre O tmout fi la…
Gian Marco Dime como te va ahora que ya no estoy Dime si…
Haus A Holics Que pasa Que pasa Que pasa Que pasa Que pasa Que pasa Que pa…
I-Majesty Si está perdiendo el tiempo No diga nada más Muévase desde e…
J-Sharp Yeah La Fogata JCJ Yeah Yo hago mi propio dinero Y ha…
Jayel Toto Beats Nouvelle paire d'Jordan neuves J'fais le 6 et le…
Juanes ¿Qué pasó? Pregunto yo Pregunto yo ¿qué pasó en el mundo…
Kabe Si si hombre que pasa C'est Kabe qui danse dans la…
Kenny Price Que pasa que pasa what's happening to your casa Tell little…
La Melodia Perfecta Han pasado tantas cosas Y has cambiado tu manera de quererme…
LA$$A Lírico en la casa (Uh, uh, uh) (Lírico en casa) Ellos…
les sheriff Quand j′étais petit j'étais déjà bruyant Je causais beaucoup…
M.C. Sar Hay tanta mierda en este mundo Pero si sos real tranquilo…
Marcianeke Ah Marcianeke ¿Y qué pasa? Le pregunté por WhatsApp Con ese…
Morad Voluptyk Sigo yo en la calle, en la calle de siempre Arma'…
Orishas La la la La la la La conocí y era tan bella Esa…
P. Lo Jetson Que nos pasa Raza contra raza En vez de ayudarnos Nos…
Projota La la la La la la La conocí y era tan bella Esa…
QueQuality Si si hombre que pasa C'est Kabe qui danse dans la…
Riffi Andere stijl, wie kan die vuur hier nog blussen Andere meid,…
Sonic Boom Andrew Huang & Rob Scallon I got a dino Like a triple rhino Geno's not a sideshow Boss,…
T.C. Matic Jazz dance action speed Hup to the beat Shake the meat Que …
TC Matic Jazz dance action speed Hup to the beat Shake the…
Tiro Andando por las calles de esta ciudad me encuentro con un…
Toledo made my bed and was sure to turn the lights off…
VC Barre Grr pa pa pa pa pa pa paow Naasty Ooh Yei Gonzalez Hans kro…
Whisnu Santika Whisnu sanika Silva ... wooooh Ola que pasa Girl you got…
yung prado Qué pasa? El mar está genial Hay pizza, Para desayunar. Mi p…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Horace Silver:
Acid Pot or Pills Acid, pot or pills Which one will help me find All the…
Blue Silver Tak pernah kita jumpa Setelah sekian lama kita terpisah Di t…
Day in Day Out Day in, day out That same old voodoo follows me about That…
Dufus Rufus He's known not to use profanity Some folks say he's crazy…
Filthy McNasty We like to ah, inform you those who just Came in,…
Forever Is a Long Long Time Merrily we fall out of line, out of line. I'd fall…
Hankerin' I thought sometime alone was what we really needed you said …
How About You When a girl meets boy Life can be a joy But the…
How Long Has This Been Going On As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
I Remember You This lovely day will lengthen into evening We'll sigh goodby…
Ill Wind Blow ill wind, blow away Let me rest today You're blowin' …
It Never Entered My Mind Once I laughed when I heard you saying That I'd be…
Love Vibrations Emptiness surrounds my lonely heart And, life has lost its t…
My One And Only Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
Prelude To A Kiss If you hear A song in blue Like a flower crying For the…
Psychedelic Sally Yo pongo la voz tu pon la bocina Perdona madre mia…
Song for My Father If there was ever a man Who was generous, gracious and…
Soul Searchin' What is the meaning of live? What does my purpose involve? D…
Thou Swell Thou swell, thou witty Thou sweet, thou grand Wouldst kiss…
Without You I've sure enjoyed the rain and I'm looking forward to…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@bdonnajpvw
Standing in the kitchen on a Saturday morning, cooking, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, I can listen all day!
@MyzteriousLadyX
Thank you for the decades of great music, Mr. Silver. Seeing you play live in such an intimate little club was one of the high points of my life. Rest in peace <3
@William_sJazzLoft
This is one of my favorites by Horace Silver. Everything comes together brilliantly
@CinemaDemocratica
I spent the last month going "bah'dah, bah'dah, BAHHH" into my phone's audio recorder and facebook-messaging it to people, hoping they could identify this track. :D
@RD3D-1
Jazz classic. Can't get enough of those drum fills...
@davedoyle9623
Billy Higgins right? Bluenote's Swiss watch.
@William_sJazzLoft
always love the sound of Silver :-)
@mrbizmike
Awesome! takes me back to Los Angeles to the days of my youth. I listen to this often I listen to this daily. I love the way you change the order and add new tracks, similar to the way they played them back in the day only without commercials.
@lolcap
Thanks for sharing this Timeless masterpiece!
@sunrah4469
So its not just me...I spent the first 6 years of my life in a house filled with the sounds of KBCA....shouts out to RICK HOLMES , CHUCK NILES AND JAMMIN JAY RICH. thank you for filling my subconscious with the touchstones for real music.