Product Description:
Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Louis Smith (trumpet); Gene Taylor, Gene Taylor (acoustic bass); Louis Hayes (drums).
Composer and pianist Horace Silver was one of the leading lights of the post-bop movement, and LIVE AT NEWPORT '58 captures him in his prime. Leading a crack quintet (which includes trumpeter Louis Smith and saxophonist Junior Cook) through four slinking, swinging tunes, Silver turns in a wonderful set.
The set opens with "Tippin'," a hard swinger, then segues to "The Outlaw," a composition in the classic Silver mode, incorporating exotic rhythms, complex melodic leads, and deep grooves. "Senor Blues," a cool-toned blues, and "Cool Eyes," a frenetic bop workout, are equally impressive. The tunes are extended, and feature plenty of top-flight improvisation from the musicians, making for a memorable live date worth picking up.
Entertainment Reviews:
Rolling Stone - p.58
"[A] surprise from Silver's early prime....[With] Silver leading a quintet in dynamic expansions of four tunes, including the cool brass glide and staccato-piano bite of 'Senor Blues.'"
Uncut - p.93
4 stars out of 5 -- "This exquisitely recorded set from the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival documents the founding father of funky hard bop inventing a genre as he goes along..."
Down Beat - p.86
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] consistent level of quality is evident throughout....It's a road band with tight ensemble work, vigorous solos, a cohesive rhythm section and a driving sound."
Mojo (Publisher) - p.119
4 stars out of 5 -- "Silver and his confreres are in tip-top form, delivering sizzling renditions of 'Tippin'' and the classic 'Senor Blues'."
