Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers
Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers(180Gm)

Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers was the first twelve-inch vinyl release from the Jazz Messengers.  It brought together two ten-inch vinyl sets released as the Horace Silver Quintet (recorded 13th November 1954) and the Horace Silver Quintet Volume 2 (recorded 6th February 1955). The twelve-inch was released in 1956.  This Jazz Messengers line-up featured Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Doug Watkins (bass), Art Blakey (drums) plus Silver on piano.  It is considered a landmark in Hard Bop. ‘Room 606’ begins the set and it is a fast pulsating Hard Bop groove that Silver and Blakey drive forward without breaking stride.  The tempo slows for the dirge like Blues of ‘Creepin In’.  Hank Mobley’s sax solo epitomises that feeling, drenched in dread and foreboding.  The bright and cheerful ‘Stop Time’ enjoys a brisk pace with both Dorham and Mobley at their most expressive.  ‘To Whom It May Concern’ is a straight-forward Blues that sounds in retrospect slightly dated.  The fast ‘Hippy’ sounds like a sprint that finishes with an Art Blakey drums fill and some nifty horn work. ‘The Preacher’, a track that producer Alfred Lion originally wished to exclude from the album on the grounds it sounded too old fashioned, but Silver and Blakey insisted on its inclusion; it became a definitive recording for the pianist.  It has that New Orleans street funeral celebration feel. Hank Mobley’s ‘Hankerin’ is a blistering Hard Bop number that is powered by Blakey’s belligerent drum work.  The pace slackens for ‘Doodlin’.  ‘Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers’ is extremely fine Hard Bop set and essential historical record in Jazz’s history.