Horace Silver

• The Very Best [Blue Note, 2005] A

Consumer Guide Reviews:

The Very Best [Blue Note, 2005]
His beat stronger than Monk's, Powell's, or Jamal's, his themes as solidly catchy as any r&b master's, Silver was the soul of hard bop. As iterated by his own piano and various not-quite-scintillating trumpet-sax complements, at least five of the eight heads on this useful selection--"The Preacher," "The Jody Grind," "Doodlin'," "The Cape Verdean Blues," and, best of all, "Song for My Father"--never wear out. They're so simple they elicit gratifying solos even from his old boss Hank Mobley, which is more than Miles Davis could do. A