Jazz has lost another great this month with the death of Horace Silver. He died at age 85. After the death of Jimmy Scott earlier this month, Scott is the second big name in 20th century jazz to pass away in the space of a fortnight. Silver was best known for pioneering a style of rhythmic jazz, which came to be known as hard bop.

 

 

He kicked off his career playing the tenor sax around the Connecticut club circuit, but quickly moved on from that scene in the 1950s, when he moved into the much more diverse New York setting, according to BBC News. He switched from saxophone to piano as his instrument of choice and began performing at the Blue Note Jazz Club.

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He was born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva. His mother was born in Connecticut, while his father came from Cape Verde, and while developing his style, Silver was influenced by the folk music from the Portuguese-speaking islands off of Africa, but his diverse style was also influenced by Gospel African, Latin American and soul jazz music. Many of his pieces became jazz standards. Some of his best known hits include The Preacher, Cape Verdean Blues, Sister Sadie and Filthy McNasty.

Listen to Silve's Song For My Father below.