Description

1LP Vinyl – BLP-1539

This album is an early hard bop lovers dream, with Horace Silver leading a group that includes Hank Mobley and Donald Byrd, two fellow musicians who also helped shape the sound of Blue Note heading into the next decade. Silver is often cited as one of the originators of the hard bop style, and listening to this early recording it is easy to see why. His playing is prominently featured in the mix and is funky, bluesy and full of a spirit that would soon take over the genre. At this point the music is still rooted a bit in bop, which is not surprising, but all the players can clearly see the direction they want to go and they are all more than capable of getting there. Mobley, my favorite tenor player, is in great form, with that smooth and smokey tone that will be familiar to those who know his early work for the label. Byrd is as solid as ever, this guy never seemed to falter, especially as a sideman on the many classic sessions he sat in on.