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Recent Recordings by Area MusiciansThe 1958 edition of the Newport Jazz Festival is well remembered in the jazz world; all the music from the whole four-day celebration was recorded, and many of the resulting albums, such as Ray Charles at Newport, with its famous rendition of "What'd I Say," became classic hits. But that year's festival is remembered primarily because of the delicious full-length documentary, Jazz on a Summer's Day. The film ends right after midnight with Willis Canover's announcement, "It is Sunday," and Mahalia Jackson's gospel set. But there was more music to come that day, including an afternoon stirring set by the Horace Silver Quintet, one of the most popular groups of the day. Until now, only one selection from this performance, "Tippin'," had been released on a Swedish label, but now all four tunes that were played that afternoon have been made available on the Blue Note album Horace Silver: Live At Newport '58, in great sound, taken from a hitherto unknown three-track master tape.
Silver's new quintet was anchored by a rhythm section consisting of two young Detroiters, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. In the front line was tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, who would stay with Silver for six years, and a young trumpet player from Memphis by the name of Louis Smith. Just four months earlier Smith had recorded his second album as leader, Smithville (Blue Note), with Charlie Rouse, Sonny Clark, and Paul Chambers, among others. Soon after the Newport performance he abandoned the touring life and settled in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he has remained to this day both as a beloved university and high school teacher, and as a major creative force on the local music scene. This performance was recorded at a time when Silver was at his peak, when each of his Blue Note records, filled with new compositions, were eagerly awaited all over the globe. This particular short-lived edition of his quintet never made it to the studio; Smith had replaced Donald Byrd on trumpet, and Blue Mitchell, in turn would take his place. But this recital has a different feel than the classic studio albums; the excitement of the Newport festival comes through on the half-century-old recording, with the musicians audibly feeding off the exhilaration of the crowd. The amazing rhythm section is well synchronized and works actively to push the soloists; indeed, it seems surprisingly loose and flexible for its time. Silver had already developed his idiosyncratic way of accompaniment, prodding and riffing, using his own characteristic chord voicings, but the wonder here is the 21-year-old Louis Hayes, who is already showing the kind of busy, reactive, polyrhythmic approach that would later be developed by Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams. The album only has four tunes, and the long performances give everyone a chance to stretch out. Silver solos with an energy reminiscent of his earlier in person recordings with Art Blakey, but it is Smith who, to my ears, grabs most attention. This may not be completely objective, since I have admired the man for decades, from listening to his early Blue Notes, his latter day Steeplechase recordings, to countless local performances, but also knowing his wise, gentle, and generous spirit. On these tracks Louis plays with endless invention, his long melodic lines and perfect resolutions reminiscent of Clifford Brown, but with a tone all his own, touched with a bit of Fats Navarro's lovely bite. You can sense how he is reacting to the energy of the rest of the band, as he improvises chorus after chorus of classic hard bop trumpet. Smith was already then a sensitive interpreter of ballads, as evidenced by his other early recordings, but here he revels in the up-tempo settings provided by the leader, demonstrating his seemingly endless improvisational resources. This is a joyous document from a great period of modern jazz history, when many of the great creators of the last century were still alive and the young men of this quintet were still freshly exploring their own new take on the classic bop of the previous generation. All of Louis Smith's fans and friends will revel in this discovery, but he is in such good company that one can safely predict that this will remain as one of the classic albums of its time. I N - T H I S - I S S U E : |
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This was the heyday of hard bop, and Horace Silver was one of its finest practitioners. After recording as a sideman and as a leader of a trio, he co-led the Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey, but went on his own in 1956 and recorded for Blue Note with the first version of his quintet. Six Pieces of Silver showcased his compositional skills as well as his original piano style, and introduced two new pieces that would stay in his repertoire for years: "Señor Blues" and "Cool Eyes." Both became part of his regular repertoire and were featured at Newport, together with two more recent compositions, "The Outlaw" (from the 1958 Further Explorations), and a new tune entitled "Tippin'." Silver introduces it as from his latest album, but it was waxed, together with a vocal version of "Señor Blues," for a 45 record, and was only released on an album many years later.