| Serenade to a Soul Sister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Horace Silver | ||||
| Released | Early June 1968 | |||
| Recorded | February 23 and March 29, 1968 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 37:54 | |||
| Label | Blue Note BST 84277 | |||
| Producer | Francis Wolff | |||
| Horace Silver chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | |
Serenade to a Soul Sister is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver released on the Blue Note label in 1968, featuring performances by Silver with Charles Tolliver, Stanley Turrentine, Bennie Maupin, Bob Cranshaw, John Williams, Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham.
The album was re-mastered, for the CD release in the 24-bit series, by Rudy Van Gelder, in 2004.
Silver's guidelines to musical composition
The album's liner notes include Silver's guidelines to musical composition:
- a. Melodic Beauty
- b. Meaningful Simplicity
- c. Harmonic Beauty
- d. Rhythm
- e. Environmental, Hereditary, Regional, and Spiritual Influences
Reception
AllMusic writer Steve Huey awarded the album 4½ stars and stated:
"One of the last great Horace Silver albums for Blue Note, Serenade to a Soul Sister is also one of the pianist's most infectiously cheerful, good-humored outings... You'd never know this album was recorded in one of the most tumultuous years in American history, but as Silver says in the liner notes' indirect jab at the avant-garde, he simply didn't believe in allowing "politics, hatred, or anger" into his music. Whether you agree with that philosophy or not, it's hard to argue with musical results as joyous and tightly performed as Serenade to a Soul Sister."
Track listing
All compositions by Horace Silver.
- "Psychedelic Sally" – 7:14
- "Serenade to a Soul Sister" – 6:19
- "Rain Dance" – 6:21
- "Jungle Juice" – 6:46
- "Kindred Spirits" – 5:55
- "Next Time I Fall in Love" – 5:19
Personnel
Musicians
on tracks 1 – 3 (February 23, 1968)
- Horace Silver – piano
- Charles Tolliver – trumpet
- Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone
- Bob Cranshaw – bass, electric bass (on track 1)
- Mickey Roker – drums
on tracks 4 – 6 (March 29, 1968)
- Horace Silver – piano
- Charles Tolliver – trumpet (exc. track 6)
- Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone (exc. track 6)
- John Williams – bass
- Billy Cobham – drums
Production
- Francis Wolff – production
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineering
- Forlenza Venosa Associates – design
- Billy Cobham (Cover), Francis Wolff (Interior) – photography
References
- Billboard June 1, 1968
- ^ Huey, S.AllMusic Review accessed November 23, 2009.
- Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1299. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
- Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 181. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- Horace Silver discography accessed November 23, 2009.
- "The Horace Silver Quintet Featuring Stanley Turrentine – Serenade to a Soul Sister (2004, Paper Sleeve, CD)". Discogs.
- Rosenthal, David H. (1993-09-09). Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965. Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-19-535899-5.
- Kirchner, Bill (2005-07-14). The Oxford Companion to Jazz. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-19-518359-7.