''Song for My Father'' is a 1965 album by the

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

Quintet, released on the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

label in 1965. The album was inspired by a trip that Silver had made to Brazil. The cover artwork features a photograph of Silver's father, John Tavares Silver, to whom the title composition was dedicated. "My mother was of Irish and Negro descent, my father of Portuguese origin," Silver recalls in the liner notes: "He was born on the island of Maio, one of the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Islands."

Music and reception

The composition "

Song for My Father ''Song for My Father'' is a 1965 album by the Horace Silver Quintet, released on the Blue Note label in 1965. The album was inspired by a trip that Silver had made to Brazil. The cover artwork features a photograph of Silver's father, John Tava ...

" is probably Silver's best known. As described in the liner notes, this album features the leader's quintet in transition as it features a mix of tracks featuring his old group and his new line-up after

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and Blu ...

had left. AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey praised the album:

One of Blue Note's greatest mainstream hard bop dates, ''Song for My Father'' is Horace Silver's signature LP and the peak of a discography already studded with classics...it hangs together remarkably well, and Silver's writing is at his tightest and catchiest.

The album was identified by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

in his

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

essay "Hard Bop" as one of the 17 Essential Hard Bop recordings.

Track listing

All compositions by Horace Silver, except where noted. # "

" – 7:17 # "The Natives Are Restless Tonight" – 6:09 # "Calcutta Cutie" – 8:31This title lists the wrong musicians on the album notes # "Que Pasa" – 7:47 # "The Kicker" (

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

) – 5:26 # "Lonely Woman" – 7:02 Bonus tracks on CD reissue: #

"Sanctimonious Sam" ( Musa Kaleem) – 3:52 # "Que Pasa (Trio Version)" – 5:38 # "Sighin' and Cryin'" – 5:27 # "Silver Treads Among My Soul" – 3:50 ''Recorded on October 31, 1963 (#3, 6, 7, 8); January 28, 1964 (#9-10); October 26, 1964 (#1, 2, 4, 5).''

Personnel

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 *

– piano *

Carmell Jones Carmell Jones (July 19, 1936 – November 7, 1996) was an American jazz trumpet player. Biography Jones was born in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. He started piano lessons at age five, and trumpet lessons at age seven. His first professional ...

– trumpet (solo 2 and 5, ensemble 1 and 4) *

– tenor saxophone *

Teddy Smith Theodore "Teddy" Smith (January 22, 1932, in Washington, D.C.—August 24, 1979, in Washington, D.C.) was an American jazz double-bassist. Smith played with Betty Carter in 1960, and with Clifford Jordan (with whom he recorded the LP ''Bear ...

– bass *

Roger Humphries Roger Humphries (born January 30, 1944) is an American jazz drummer. Born into a family of ten children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Humphries began playing drums at age four, and went professional at age 14. He led an ensemble at Carnegie Hall ...

– drums Tracks 3, 7, 9, 10 * Horace Silver – piano *

– trumpet (ensemble) *

Junior Cook Herman "Junior" Cook (July 22, 1934 – February 3, 1992) was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player. Biography Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook was a member of the Horace Silver Quin ...

– tenor saxophone (ensemble) * Gene Taylor – bass *

Roy Brooks Roy Brooks (March 9, 1938 – November 15, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early life Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood, his earliest experiences of music coming through his mother, who sang in church. He was a ...

– drums Tracks 6, 8 * Horace Silver – piano * Gene Taylor – bass * Roy Brooks – drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song For My Father 1965 albums Blue Note Records albums Horace Silver albums Albums produced by Alfred Lion Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio