Jazz Has a Sense of Humor

Jazz Has a Sense of Humor

ASIN: B00000JWOX

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Don't let this disc's title or tunes with names like "I Love Annie's Fanny" mislead you into thinking the venerable Horace Silver has put out a novelty record. What we have here is some superb '60s-era soul-jazz composed and arranged by the originator of that genre. Horace, much like Art Blakey, has found some talented young jazzers and schooled them in his music. Trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene play with energy and skill, obviously influenced by the hard-boppers of Silver's generation. With its hip, storytelling heads and stabbing piano rhythms, this music would have sounded just right in 1959, but given Horace Silver's presence, it's not a mere retro-jazz album; rather, it's a continuation of Silver's musical vision, one that has always melded funky rhythms and the bop vernacular into a tasty, accessible whole. --Wally Shoup

From Jazziz
This is something of a return to classic Horace Silver form. The tunes are crisp, the group sounds like a working band, and Silver's piano envelopes the whole - shaping, steering, mining those grooves he first discovered years ago. The two-horn front line is formulaic bop and post-bop, of course, but in Silver's hands, there is a coherence and order that is missing in the work of most who attempt these styles today. With Silver's groups, one always senses a big band reduced to its fundamentals, illuminated and sparked by the leader's structural riffs. That's what we hear on this CD, and though no new ground is broken, for many Silver fans, that is just fine. A nice range of materials is offered up, centered by "The Mama Suite," a mini-showcase for the band, with Latin and funk rhythms drawing sprightly solos out of trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene. "I Love Annie's Fanny" is the sort of slightly tart, angular piece that falls somewhere in the "Se"or Blues" range. And "Where Do I Go From Here?" is all Silver's piano - light, dancing, his patented touch at work. But as is often the case with Silver's records, there is something slightly odd here as well. The recording is intended to demonstrate that jazz can be funny by putting together a collection of humorous songs. But there are no vocals on the record! (Only Silver's lyrics provided in the liners.) Mind you, one shouldn't complain, for the true humor of Silver's music is in his compositions. And it's just that subtle brand of humor that his lyrics often obscure.

Tracks:

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The Mama Suite, Part I: Not Enough Mama
The Mama Suite, Part II: Too Much Mama
The Mama Suite, Part III: Just Right Mama
Philley Millie
Ah-Ma-Tell
I Love Annie's Fanny
Gloria
Where Do I Go From Here?

Amazon.com essential recording

Don't let this disc's title or tunes with names like "I Love Annie's Fanny" mislead you into thinking the venerable Horace Silver has put out a novelty record. What we have here is some superb '60s-era soul-jazz composed and arranged by the originator of that genre. Horace, much like Art Blakey, has found some talented young jazzers and schooled them in his music. Trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene play with energy and skill, obviously influenced by the hard-boppers of Silver's generation. With its hip, storytelling heads and stabbing piano rhythms, this music would have sounded just right in 1959, but given Horace Silver's presence, it's not a mere retro-jazz album; rather, it's a continuation of Silver's musical vision, one that has always melded funky rhythms and the bop vernacular into a tasty, accessible whole. --Wally Shoup

Customer Reviews:

Oooooh... nothin' better.......2003-09-05

This fantastic romp through the complex mind of jazzman Horace Silver will leave you wanting more. It is without a doubt my favorite CD in my whole collection.

Get it! It's worth every penny!

Not Quite your Father's Silver.......2001-01-03

The title does tell the story for this generally enjoyable and upbeat CD.

Horace Silver made his reputaion as a great composer and most of the new songs put forth are of toe tapping appeal, abeit with some contemporary smoothing of the edges. The improvizations by the new comers are generally inspiring. However, the solos by trumpeter Ryan Kisor sound anemic and boring sometimes, especially if you compared him to Silver's classic quintet trumpeter, Blue Mitchell. And if you put a side the humorous theme of the album, you will find the CD doesn't quite compare to the better works of the classic Silver quintet. The upbeat Silver classic "Blowin'the Blues Away" is an album that's even more enthusiastic and inspiring.

Horace Silver is one of my favorite jazz composers and leaders of all time, and this CD continues his legacy in a familiar and toe tapping fashion. But if you are new to Silver's music you may want to experience his classics first.

Upbeat cleverness........1999-12-16

While I'm not a fan of "Hard Bop", this disc is so twisted and thrilling I can't stop listening to it. Each flash-in-the-pan chart harbors a simple but catchy melody. There is no self-conscious jazz on this album. It's all fun and frolicking. "Ah-ma-Tell" is my favorite tune.

A joyous jazz experience.......1999-08-24

I had the good fortune to hear Horace Silver and his quintet live in Harrisburg less than a week before this CD was recorded last December, so most of the tunes sound very familiar. The upbeat melodies on this disc are a wonderful tonic if you're a little down. If you're not feeling happier after listening to this music, I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done for you. It's incredible to realize that Horace's sidemen are about half his age, because the entire group melds seamlessly into a cohesive unit. My only minor criticism is that the CD is a little short at just over 47 minutes. The band did two one-hour sets at their program here, and they easily could have added a couple more tunes. Regardless, this disc will reward you with lots of pleasure and good feelings each time you listen to it.

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