Silver's Serenade (Blue Note Tone Poet Series), Horace Silver, LP

Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in May 1963, Silver's Serenade was the last in a fantastic run of albums that pianist Horace Silver would make with the most celebrated line-up of his Quintet featuring Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor saxophone, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums. The core of the band had been together since 1959 and recorded hard bop classics like Finger Poppin' and Blowin' the Blues Away, with Brooks joining in 1960 on Horace-Scope. The program on Silver's Serenade consists of five Silver tunes that epitomize his exceptional compositional style: captivating melodies, sophisticated harmonies, and intricate rhythmic inventions with a soulful and unerring sense of swing at the core. From the relaxed groove of the opening title track to the hard-charging finale "Nineteen Bars" the Quintet delivers their swan song with style.