Horace Silver Horace-Scope CD

Horace Silver Quintet: Horace Silver (piano); Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Gene Taylor (bass); Roy Brooks (drums).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 8, 1960.
Horace Silver: Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Horace Silver (piano); Gene Taylor (upright bass); Roy Brooks (drums).
Someday, history might recognize pianist/composer Horace Silver as one of the first crossover jazz artists. Silver was definitely a commited jazz musician but he also had the gift for catchy tunes and a good solid beat, and his bands featured warmly direct, heartfelt solos. From 1960, HORACE-SCOPE has plenty of relaxed, old-school funky ambience, earnestly appealing grooves, and crackling, succinct soloing from Silver, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and tenor saxophonist Junior Cook. Highlight: "Nica's Dream," a Silver gem that became a standard.
Horace-Scope is the third album by Horace Silver's classic quintet -- or most of it, actually, as drummer Louis Hayes was replaced by Roy Brooks starting with this session. The rhythmic drive and overall flavor of the group are still essentially the same, though, and Horace-Scope continues the tight, sophisticated-yet-swinging blueprint for hard bop pioneered on its two classic predecessors. The program is as appealing as ever, and even though not as many tunes caught on this time -- at least not on the level of a "Juicy Lucy" or "Sister Sadie" -- Silver's writing is tuneful and tasteful. The best-known selections are probably the lovely closing number "Nica's Dream," which had been around for several years but hadn't yet been recorded on a Silver LP, and the genial, laid-back opener "Strollin'." But really, every selection is full of soulful grooves and well-honed group interplay, the qualities that made this band perhaps the top hard bop outfit of the early '60s. Silver was in the midst of a hot streak that wouldn't let up for another few years, and Horace-Scope is another eminently satisfying effort from that period. ~ Steve HueyDown Beat (1960) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "..a superior, hard-accented session...a thoroughly stimulating set.."