Horace Silver: The African Queen
Musicians:
Horace Silver (piano), Woody Shaw (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Roger Humphries (drums).
Composed by Horace Silver
.Recorded: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 22, 1965
Rating: 96/100 (learn more)
This was a breakthrough recording for Woody Shaw—for me, the first fully realized representation of the innovations that he would bring to the jazz trumpet vocabulary. Many of Woody’s signature melodic “formations” are present in his solo, such as his systematic use of pentatonic and fourth-based permutations leading to wider interval jumps, and the “in-to-out” sequencing and side-slipping. And the poise of his playing is beautiful; everything Woody’s going for is coming off here, with beautiful sound and pinpoint, nuanced articulation. It’s a truly incredible achievement for a 20-year-old player to have his own vocabulary and style so fully formed so quick!
Reviewer: Brian Lynch
Tags: 1960s jazz · blue note · hard bop
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