Song for My Father

Every song is fantastic (2010-02-18) : 5/5
I think it is rare to find a CD that you like more than half of the songs on it. I can confidently say that I love every song on this CD. I highly recommend it.
Horace (2010-02-10) : 5/5
If you don't have this album in your jazz collection, you "have a hole in your swing."
A Suite for His Father (2009-09-11) : 5/5
The original six tracks of Horace Silver's beautiful "Song for My Father," using a sometimes stately trumpet/tenor sax motif, fiery but never overlong solos, and Silver's self-effacing piano, all of it concluding with a long, sublime epilogue of memory and bittersweet notes, suggests a formal structure that hovers over the proceedings without imposing itself on the listener. As Bob Blumental's 1999 notes explain, this latest incarnation of "Song for My Father" is from three sessions spread out over a year, from October 1963 to October 1964, with two different Horace Silver Quintets. The track order as originally conceived shows the formidable intuition of producer Alfred Lion, who even more importantly urged Silver to hire Carmell Jones, Joe Henderson, Teddy Smith and Roger Humphries, the quintet you mostly hear on the original album. As Blumenthal relates it, the story grows complicated and a bit disheartening, but in the end it makes all that Silver and his producer achieved seem even more impressive. The only problem, however, is the additional four tracks: they range from perfectly OK to enjoyably fine, but as they play, that achievement begins to melt away, ultimately spoiling the suite-like effect which "Song for My Father" imparts. Listen only to the first six tracks-- the album as Horace Silver and Alfred Lion envisioned it, and leave off the baggage for a separate hearing, preferably on another day.
This Silver is solid gold (2009-04-30) : 5/5
Before I got really serious about jazz, I'd read an article in the Wall Street Journal that suggested five "must have" jazz recordings. One of them was Blowin' the Blues Away by a guy I had never heard of, Horace Silver. (Like I said, I wasn't serious about jazz at the time.) I picked up Blowin' and found the work impressive and inspirational. Silver became one of my jazz beacons. Soon after, in order to make more informed jazz music purchases, I picked up The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Eighth Edition and set my sail by their "Core Collection", which included Blowin'. I noticed also their crown collection, which included this CD, so when I had the chance to pick this up for three bucks (music club closeout), I did. I have to say, SFMF is a really wonderful recording, and even with as much play as I've gotten out of Blowin', I think SFMF is going to be a "go to" disk for a long time. The Latin flavor is sensational, but delicate, managing to deftly balance the jazz aspects with the Latin influence without letting one sublimate the other. The bands' (there are two of them plus a trio) executions are fluid and flawless, and Silver's blues tinged piano is bright but inconspicuous throughout, a pivotal piece in the group that serves to drive the song down the road from the navigator's chair without grabbing the steering wheel. Every song is just delightful to listen to. As usual, the Rudy Van Gelder edition is clean and crisp, and as usual, Blue Notes provides original and updated liner notes with this edition, a plus that I've come to expect and always appreciate. The night before I first listened to this (although I'd heard some of the songs before), I had slept only two hours, and I was very drowsy and irritable after a twelve hour day at work when I put the CD on. I was sure I would just drift off to sleep anyway. But actually, as tired as I was, the music kept me interested and awake, as well as soothed and relaxed. I listened to it three times running. I daresay no other CD in my collection (nearly 200 jazz titles now) has ever done that. As far as I'm concerned, Silver takes the gold. This CD is great and will not disappoint any jazz fan, heavy or light.br /br /Note also that the penguin jazz guide is now available in a ninth edition: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Ninth Edition
The Best Jazz (2009-04-07) : 5/5
I heard this song on TV and searched for it with nothing more than the song title. But then I received the CD and fell in love with every last cut. I am happy with my purchase, I am happy that it came earlier than promised and I am happy to do business with Amazon......you rock.