HARD•BOP
Artist profile / 1928–2014

Horace
Silver.

Piano / composer

A pianist and composer whose compact themes put blues, gospel and a strong beat at the heart of hard bop.

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Horace Silver at the piano
Brian McMillen · Keystone Korner, 1978 · CC BY-SA 3.0 / image source
Piano / composerPeople / recordings / the sound

Horace’s
sound

Horace Silver grew up in Connecticut and moved to New York in the early 1950s. His piano playing and compositions brought an immediately recognizable, rhythmically direct voice to the small-group jazz of the period.

Silver co-led the early Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey, then formed his own quintet. His writing left room for memorable melodies and tightly organized solos. Song for My Father, dedicated to his Cape Verdean father, is among his enduring recordings.

Read the full biography at the National Endowment for the Arts ↗

Hear the
music

Watch Horace Silver

Song for My Father · Horace Silver / Blue Note recording

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Take the
sound home

Start with a recording, then browse available formats. Amazon results may contain different editions and sellers, so check the listing before buying.

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Song for My Father

A signature Silver album that pairs his writing with the characteristic sound of his quintet.

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Sources and photograph

Biography source · Photograph source · CC BY-SA 3.0. Image cropped in the page layout.