Pianist/composer
Horace Silver teams up with the
Brecker Brothers (both of whom used to be in his quintet) and a veteran rhythm section of bassist
Ron Carter and drummer
Louis Hayes to debut nine of his originals. The funny part about
Silver's music is that, no matter who he is paying tribute to (this set includes a song for
Lester Young), the style always ends up sounding like
Horace Silver, with no real reference to the subject matter. All of the music on this date is very much in
Silver's funky hard bop tradition, in the phrasing, catchy themes, concise solos by tenor Michael and trumpeter
Randy Brecker, and the pianist's distinctive and quote-filled improvisations. None of the melodies are all that memorable ("Walk On" has the best chance of catching on), so there are probably no future "hits" on this collection. But it is a joy to hear
Horace Silver still playing in his prime at the age of 68. ~ Scott Yanow