The Jazz Detective, Zev Feldman, does not confine his unearthed treasures to Black Friday and April’s Record Store Day. He’s been busy this fall with several projects and now presents arguably Blue Note’s most important artist for three decades, pianist and composer Horace Silver in his prime, with a never-before-issued 1965 live recording – Silver in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse. You’ve seen the name, Penthouse, the jazz club which operated from 1962 to 1968, before. Feldman’s efforts have yielded live dates from John Coltrane, Ahmad Jamal, Wes Montgomery, Cannonball Adderley, and Cal Tjader. There is certainly more to come. Black Friday is almost upon us.
Yet, this Horace Silver date is as magical as any. This short-lived quintet featured a most potent front line with trumpeter Woody Shaw and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, alongside bassist Teddy Smith and drummer Roger Humphries. At the time, Shaw was only 19, but according to Randy Brecker, who witnessed this show, Shaw’s chops were fully formed. Henderson, who had played on Silver’s iconic Song for My Father, was 28 and had only issued one album as a leader at the time. He was still developing his style during this date, which makes it that much more intriguing. Unlike his former bandleader, Art Blakey, Silver eschewed long solos but was renowned for writing great horn charts.
The album presents stretched-out versions of Silver classics, including “Song for My Father,” “The Cape Verdean Blues,” “The Kicker,” “Sayonara Blues,” and “No Smokin’.” “The Kicker” begins and features the ambitious, no-holds-barred Shaw blowing up a storm, with Henderson’s rich tone and superb rhythmic sense on display following Shaw. Immediately, the room is alive! Silver solos in his trademark fashion, using both hands deftly with a bluesy feel. Leading the group akin to a big band conductor, he allows room for individual statements from each member. Smith makes quite the declarative statement, as does Humphries. And, contrary to the aforementioned shunning of long solos, these solos are plenty long.
The quintet slinks into Silver’s mega hit, “Song for My Father,” which he insisted on playing at every date to satisfy the audience. Henderson’s solo (no two were ever the same) differs from the studio version in that, although he begins cautiously as he does in the studio, he grows more intense as Silver’s comping prods him. Note that the contributions from Shaw relate only to the unison lines on the head. This is emblematic of Silver’s tendency to present his most audience-friendly pieces with extended saxophone solos that left no room for the trumpet. This may explain Shaw’s short-lived tenure.
The same thing happens on “Cape Verdean Blues,” where Henderson generates several new ideas compared to his studio take. Silver was among the first jazz artists to incorporate African rhythms, as heard in this now iconic piece. Silver’s solo is riveting as his blistering run on “Sayonara Blues” begins. This piece, with its trademark Silver infectious, swaying head, features extensive solos in call-and-response fashion, running for a glorious 17 minutes with masterful drumming from Humphries and a highly invigorated Henderson. Closer “No Smokin’” is the lead single, more akin to bebop with its faster-than-a-locomotive pace. Henderson slows it down a bit in his solo before catching fire, but Humphries is intent on tearing down the walls with his thunderous drumming.
As is true with most Feldman releases, this comes with a detailed, insightful booklet containing rare photos and liner notes from Bob Blumenthal, statements from Don Was, and rising star pianist Sullivan Fortner, as well as interviews with Roger Humphries and Silver alumni Randy Brecker and Alvin Queen. These are all well worth reading. For example, Fortner points out that Silver’s exceptional ability to comp behind horns traces to his beginnings as a horn player.
This is a much-needed dose of Silver with young cats Shaw and Henderson, guaranteed to lift your spirits.
