This minimalist in execution though maximal in conception form of playing, along with Silver’s incredible tuneful composition chops caught the ear of drummer Art Blakey, who recruited Silver for the inaugural version of Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers. Horace Silver rapidly developed a wonderfully understated piano style: he was never one to play a lot of notes, but the notes he chose to play were always very considered, tasteful and designed to push the music into interesting new directions. Silver played both the piano and tenor saxophone growing up. Horace Silver‘s Cape Verdean heritage would feature heavily into much of his musical conception over the years: with Horace frequently referencing Cape Verde and composing songs based-on, using motifs from or having something of the flavor of traditional Verdean music. His father, John Tavares Silver, was originally from Cape Verde but had immigrated to the United States as a young man. Horace Silver was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1928. The piece both manages to sound incredibly tightly controlled while also sounding very loose with some extended soloing all around. Everyone plays their part perfectly building something greater than the sum of the musical parts (despite the obvious talent of the musicians who made it) and no one steps on anyone’s toes. Everything about the arrangement and performances is perfect. The piece, one of Silver’s many great original compositions is a slinky minor key thing. The cut is an absolute masterpiece of group dynamics: Silver laying down a subtle groove on the piano (with his customary tasteful accents) and locking in with the rhythm section, while the saxophone of the great Joe Henderson, trumpet of Woody Shaw and guest trombone J.J. The piece is deeply evocative: you can see in your mind’s eye a boat (for which the song is named) hurtling down a jungle river someplace. I have incredibly vivid memories of listening to this over and over again on repeat while walking home late at night on a humid summer day: the smell of vegetation thick in the air and the heat of the day seeming to burn into the streetlights as they flickered. “The African Queen” from Horace Silver‘s 1965 LP, The Cape Verdean Blues is one of my all-time favorite jazz cuts. Song of the Day: Horace Silver Quintet “The African Queen”
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