Da der Titeltrack Steely Dan zu dem Song "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number" inspirierte, wurde Song For My Father bekannt als Jazzaufnahme, die tausend schlechte Pop-Platten nach sich zog. Aber ganz gleich welche Absichten Steely Dan und ihre vielen, vielen verzweifelten Imitatoren hatten, wir sollten die Schuld hieran nicht dem Pianisten Horace Silver in die Schuhe schieben: Dies ist eine der gefühlvollsten und erfreulichsten Sammlungen von Blue Note -- und das heißt schon etwas. Horace Silver war ein Pionier des Hard-Bop-Stils, der Gospel und R&B mit Jazz kombinierte, er war der Autor von vielen hervorragenden Kompositionen, zu denen nicht nur "Song For My Father" gehört, sondern auch "Opus De Funk", "Nica's Dream", "Senor Blues" und "The Preacher". Seine Quintette, die Tenorsaxofon und Trompete präsentieren, brachten solche Talente hervor wie die Trompeter Woody Shaw, Art Farmer und Donald Byrd. Auf Song For My Father kommt der Tenorsaxofonist Joe Henderson hinzu, der eine seiner typischen Melodien, "The Kicker", beisteuert. Neben der anspruchsvollen Arbeit mit dem Quintett bietet dieses Album auch ein schönes Porträt des Pianisten mit seinem Trio bei "Lonely Woman".

(Fred Goodman, Amazon)

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One of Blue Note's greatest mainstream hard bop dates, Song for My Father is Horace Silver's signature LP and the peak of a discography already studded with classics. Silver was always a master at balancing jumping rhythms with complex harmonies for a unique blend of earthiness and sophistication, and Song for My Father has perhaps the most sophisticated air of all his albums. Part of the reason is the faintly exotic tint that comes from Silver's flowering fascination with rhythms and modes from overseas -- the bossa nova beat of the classic "Song for My Father," for example, or the Eastern-flavored theme of "Calcutta Cutie," or the tropical-sounding rhythms of "Que Pasa?" Subtle touches like these alter Silver's core sound just enough to bring out its hidden class, which is why the album has become such a favorite source of upscale ambience. Song for My Father was actually far less focused in its origins than the typical Silver project; it dates from the period when Silver was disbanding his classic quintet and assembling a new group, and it features performances from both bands (and, on the CD reissue with bonus tracks, three different sessions). Still, it hangs together remarkably well, and Silver's writing is at its tightest and catchiest. The title cut became Silver's best-known composition, partly because it provided the musical basis for jazz-rock group Steely Dan's biggest pop hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Another hard bop standard is introduced here in the lone non-Silver tune, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's "The Kicker," covered often for the challenge of its stuttering phrases and intricate rhythms. Yet somehow it comes off as warm and inviting as the rest of the album, which is necessary for all jazz collections -- mainstream hard bop rarely comes as good as Song for My Father.

(by Steve Huey, AMG)

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A Blue Note stalwart for many years – he joined the label in 1952 and stayed until 1979 – Horace Silver was a pianist who helped to establish not only the hard bop aesthetic but also the genre’s classic small-group format with its twin horn line-up. Silver and his quintet recorded many fine LPs for Blue Note, but Song For My Father, released in early 1965, is one of his finest for the label, even though it features two different incarnations of the pianist’s band. The “classic” line-up – featuring saxophonist Junior Cook and trumpeter Blue Mitchell – appears on just one cut, while their replacements (Joe Henderson and Carmel Jones, respectively) are present on four others (the closing track, ‘Lonely Woman’, is a trio recording between Silver, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks). Henderson, in fact, brings an earthy robustness to the proceedings with his solo on the album’s classic title track (whose intro was “borrowed” by rock group Steely Dan for their 1974 song ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’).

(www.udiscovermusic.com)