Horace Silver: 6 Pieces of Silver, Fake Stereo or Not, a Must Have Record on Blue Note

Recorded in 1956, and released the next year, Horace Silver's classic 6 Pieces of Silver belongs in every hard-bop collection.

The standards "Senor Blues" and "Cool Eyes" set the pace and proved that Silver away from the Jazz Messengers and Drummer Art Blakey would be a force to be reckoned with.

This copy I found in a local Dayton Ohio area record shop for 10 bucks, yeah I snagged it, re-channeled stereo Liberty copy and all.

Honestly it didn't sound bad, I have not heard an original, so can't honestly make a comparison.

 I am not an audiophile lunatic though, and I don't get all high-and-mighty about "bastardizing the sound with the re-channeled stereo" like many do. To get a copy from 1970 for 10 bucks, is a real steal in my book.

As good as Donald Byrd plays trumpet here, it's frankly Hank Mobley who steals the show. This guy knew how to blow the blues, and it never comes off as cliche. Silver is such a funky player, his piano playing is funky as all get out, and his Otis Span like blues delivery between funky dances on Senor Blues is delightful. Mobley melds perfectly with Silver's piano and compositions.

The Horns doubling up coming out of silver solo on the track will grab you and shake you, they ride it out with Louis Hays on drums in fine fashion.

Don't miss out on the trio ballad performance "Shirl," a somber mood, reminds me of something in the vein of Bill Evans trio perfprmance"Blue in Green"; it's both gorgeously understated, and drained of any hint of sentimentality, a real winner.

The bouncy boppers "Virgo" and "Camouflage", are also nice Horace Silver gospel tinged rides. Mobley and Byrd do their thing once again with Silver, Hays, and Doug Watkins on bass. I think I undervalued this record upon first listen. It's mighty good.

I thought about including "Senor Blues" below for your enjoyment, but I think the ballad "Shirl" has cast her spell on me, and should surely be better known, enjoy-

Grab a copy yourself.

Kenny Drew's Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059, the Last Deep Groove: So How is the Music?

Pianist Kenny Drew's second and final Blue Note session as a Leader turns out to be perhaps more famous to jazz record collectors for being the last original deep groove Blue Note pressing.

What gets lost in the shuffle sometimes is what a fantastic record it is, seems an awful lot of the time the music takes a back-seat to the collecting minutia in Blue Note collecting circles.

As a collector myself, I get a little irritated when the focus strays so far away from the actual music. Recorded in December of 1960, and released in 1961, Undercurrent is a typical hard bop date for the label with a handful of swinging cookers, a ballad, and a blues.

However: Undercurrent is no ordinary record, you have the ballsy trumpet of Freddie Hubbard, and the sweet lyricism of tenor man Hank Mobley matching whits throughout. Both create some of finest unison playing you will hear on Blue Note.

Of course Kenny Drew's piano is delightful, and is out front in the mix, thanks to a very good Rudy Van Gelder engineered recording. The CD remaster I am listing to as I write does sound sweet, doesn't sound inferior to many vinyl copies I have heard over the years; a very crisp and clean sound, with perfect balance.

Boy do I like Mobley on "Groovin the Blues", sounds like something you could have heard on Mobley's masterpiece Soul Station, save Hubbard's trumpet of course, that being a quartet recording like it is.  Drew also plays some of the tastiest blues n bop runs you'll hear.

"Ballade" is a lovely romantic Drew composition, again Hubbard's horn and Mobley's tenor pair up for a wonderful set of down tempo verses.  Then Drew takes over with a nice melancholy ride with the brushes of Louie Hayes and the light walking bass of Sam Jones.

Then Hubbard and Mobley playfully trade off a little, then an abrupt end that leaves you wanting more, a fantastic ballad all the way around.

The title track is aptly titled, as the piano and drums create a nice little bubbling under the surface "Undercurrent" if you will, the horns spar over top this quick Blakey styled tune. Freddie Hubbard really reminds me Clifford Brown here, perhaps the mood and quick pace causes this.

Also, Mobley never seems to run out of ideas, his playing is strong, it's actually a little more bombastic than normal. Probably not easy to keep up with Freddie Hubbard, but Hank does a great job here.

I used to think Mobley was overrated, albums like this and his own Soul Station won me over fairly quickly, I always wondered why he never fit well in Miles Davis Band after Coltrane left? It's one of the biggest mysteries to me?

I think overall Undercurrent is one of the real great Blue Notes, and belongs in every jazz collection. A fairly hard vinyl record to find, even vintage reissues, if you must have a vinyl copy you might check out the 45 rpm Music Matters reissues, I hear the stereo sound on these is stellar.

Hank Mobley Blue Note 4186 The Turnaround!

It always pays to nab any Blue Note vinyl you see in a  bargain or thrift store bin.

Even feelable marks on the Plastylite pressed vinyl most times don't skip, and many times don't sound too bad.

Check the dead wax run off area between the grooves and the label for an ear, or also known as cursive p.

This little mark signifies a plastylite pressing, which also mean a better sonic experience. Typically these records are heavier in weight, and seem to be better made.

Hank Mobley's The Turnaround is an odd session in that it offers two recording sessions recorded 2 years apart. The 1963 session is straight ahead, and offers a lighter sound from the saxophonist, while the 1965 session has a more post bop vibe, using exotic rhythm structures to solo on top off.

Mobley has a harder tone on the 1965 session to my ears, I know Mobley was known as the middle weight champion of the world tone wise, but I don't really see that on the 1965 date.

 I think that middle weight moniker sells Mobley short a bit, I always liked Mobley on Blue Note, though he did seem like a fish out of water  with Miles Davis in the early 60's period. Especially next to Coltrane, he seems limited, but who doesn't even today. When Hank is in his hard bop/post bop element, he's hard to beat as a melody maker.

The title track is definitely a play for sales, but at least when you combine integrity with commercialism  you get something worth hearing. Like Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," it has a soulful finger snapping hip wiggling feel.

I paid $3.99 for this pictured New York USA copy, probably a 40 dollar record on eBay in the VG condition visually, but as mentioned, this copy plays much better than the visual grade would indicate.

Hank Mobley is just one of the great Blue Note artist you need to hear, and the Turnaround is an album you need to own if you are a collector.