Horace Silver - Blowin' the Blues Away

Title: Blowin' the Blues Away Artist: Horace Silver Release Date: 1959 Re-Released On: 3/11/2008 Label: Blue Note, Blue Note Records Duration: 42:18 Album Type(s): Instrumental UPCs: 077774652629, 4988006683662, 4988006822320, 724349534223, 0724349534254, 077778401742, 724349534254 Genre: Jazz Styles: Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz Moods: Amiable/Good-Natured, Cheerful, Earthy, Exuberant, Freewheeling, Fun, Humorous, Joyous, Organic, Playful, Sophisticated, Stylish, Bravado, Carefree, Dramatic, Earnest, Energetic, Gritty, Happy, Literate, Lively, Party/Celebratory, Passionate, Rousing, Searching, Slick, Street-Smart, Uplifting, Warm, Witty, Wry Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 1 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Blowin' the Blues Away
2. The St. Vitus Dance
3. Break City
4. Peace
5. Sister Sadie
6. The Baghdad Blues
7. Melancholy Mood
8. How Did It Happen [*]

Year Type Label Catalog # 2004 CD Blue Note 4017 2004 CD Blue Note 6421 1999 CD Blue Note Records 95342 1990 CD Blue Note 46526 1987 CD Blue Note B2-46526

Blowin' the Blues Away [Japan]

Blowin' the Blues Away is one of Horace Silver's all-time Blue Note classics, only upping the ante established on Finger Poppin' for tightly constructed, joyfully infectious hard bop. This album marks the peak of Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes; it's also one of the pianist's strongest sets of original compositions, eclipsed only by Song for My Father and Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. The pacing of the album is impeccable, offering up enough different feels and slight variations on Silver's signature style to captivate the listener throughout. Two songs -- the warm, luminous ballad "Peace" and the gospel-based call-and-response swinger "Sister Sadie" -- became oft-covered standards of Silver's repertoire, and the madly cooking title cut wasn't far behind. And they embody what's right with the album in a nutshell -- the up-tempo tunes ("Break City") are among the hardest-swinging Silver had ever cut, and the slower changes of pace ("Melancholy Mood") are superbly lyrical, adding up to one of the best realizations of Silver's aesthetic. Also, two cuts ("Melancholy Mood" and the easy-swinging "The St. Vitus Dance") give Silver a chance to show off his trio chops, and "Baghdad Blues" introduces his taste for exotic, foreign-tinged themes. Through it all, Silver remains continually conscious of the groove, playing off the basic rhythms to create funky new time patterns. The typical high-impact economy of his and the rest of the band's statements is at its uppermost level, and everyone swings with exuberant commitment. In short, Blowin' the Blues Away is one of Silver's finest albums, and it's virtually impossible to dislike. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alfred Lion Producer Billy Mitchell Sax (Tenor) Blue Mitchell Trumpet Gene Taylor Bass Horace Silver Performer, Piano Ira Gitler Liner Notes Junior Cook Sax (Tenor) Louis Hayes Drums Michael Cuscuna Producer, Release Production, Liner Notes, Reissue Producer Paula Donohue Illustrations, Cover Design Reid Miles Cover Design, Design Ron McMaster Digital Transfers Rudy Van Gelder Engineer