Hard bop jazz pianist Horace Silver was born on September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Although known as one of the world's greatest pianists, his first instrument was the tenor saxophone. Heavily influenced by saxophonist Lester Young and pianist Bud Powell, Silver was discovered playing at a club in Hartford, Connecticut where his trio backed Stan Getz on saxophone, who subsequently took him on the road with him and recorded three of his compositions. Moving to New York, Silver got a weekly residency at the famous Birdland jazz club, where he was signed by Blue Note Records and, in 1955, he co-founded the Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey. Horace Silver left the Jazz Messengers in the summer of 1956 due to the prevalent heroin use by some of the other band members. Upon leaving the Jazz Messengers, he formed the Horace Silver Quintet. While the original Jazz Messengers originally recorded under the name Horace Silver Quintet, this new version of the group released their first album, Silver’s Blue, in 1956. The quintet’s line-up would remain fluid throughout their career, but their series of albums were warmly received by audiences and critics alike. Further albums in the Horace Silver Quintet’s catalog include 6 Pieces of Silver (1956), The Stylings of Silver (1957), Further Explorations (1958), Finger Poppin’ with the Horace Silver Quintet (1959), Horace-Scope (1960), and Song for My Father (1964). Some of the quintet’s best-known songs include “The Preacher”, “Señor Blues”, and his best-known composition, “Song for My Father”. Horace Silver put his quintet on ice at the end of the 1960s in order to focus on songwriting, his family and spiritualism. He continued to work as a leader and sideman until his death. Horace Silver died on June 18, 2014 at the age of 85.
