Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, CT

Death

:

June 18, 2014 in New Rochelle, NY

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Horace Silver was an American jazz pianist and composer who was born on September 2, 1928, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was the son of John Tavares Silva, a Cape Verdean immigrant, and Gertrude Silva, a native of New York. Silver grew up in a musical family, and his father played the guitar and violin. He began playing the piano at the age of six and was soon performing at local events. Silver's family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, when he was ten years old, and he continued to play the piano. He was influenced by the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Art Tatum, and he began to develop his own style. Silver attended the Hartford High School of Music, where he studied classical music and played in the school band. After high school, Silver moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He played in various bands and worked as a sideman for several jazz musicians, including Stan Getz, Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins. In 1950, he joined the band of saxophonist Stan Getz and recorded his first album, "The Stan Getz Quartet." In 1952, Silver joined the band of drummer Art Blakey, and they formed the Jazz Messengers in 1954. The Jazz Messengers became one of the most influential jazz groups of the 1950s and 1960s, and Silver's compositions were a major part of their repertoire. Some of his most famous compositions include "Song for My Father," "Sister Sadie," and "The Preacher." Silver's music was a blend of jazz, blues, and gospel, and he was known for his catchy melodies and soulful playing. He was also a pioneer of the hard bop style of jazz, which was a reaction to the cool jazz of the 1950s. Hard bop was characterized by a more aggressive and bluesy sound, and it was popular among African American audiences. In addition to his work with the Jazz Messengers, Silver recorded many albums as a leader, including "Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers," "Blowin' the Blues Away," and "The Cape Verdean Blues." He also wrote several books on jazz theory and composition, including "The Jazz Piano Book" and "The Jazz Theory Book." Silver continued to perform and record music throughout his career, and he received many awards and honors for his contributions to jazz. He was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996, and he received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 1995. Horace Silver died on June 18, 2014, at the age of 85. He was remembered as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, and his music continues to inspire and influence musicians around the world.

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