6 Pieces of Silver

180 gram vinyl.

Recorded in November 1956, Horace Silver's second album as leader for Blue Note captures a real turning point in his career. After putting much of his energy into co-leading the pioneering Jazz Messengers with drummer Art Blakey, Silver moved on with fellow Messengers Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd and Doug Watkins to form a new quintet, while Blakey continued with the Messengers name.

The music here is still firmly rooted in the hard bop sound that Silver helped shape, but this period also finds him sharpening his voice as a composer and pianist. You can hear that especially clearly on stand-out cuts like Señor Blues, as his distinctive piano style starts to lock into the sound that would go on to influence generations of jazz players.

With the exception of For Heaven's Sake, every track on the album is an original composition.