Horace Silver was born in Connecticut to a Cape Verde father and an Irish-African mother. This talented jazz pianist and composer is a pioneer in the hard bop ( a mix of rhythm and blues, gospel, and jazz) style of music and has played with jazz greats like Stan Getz, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Lou Donaldson, and Clifford Brown. He has recorded over 130 sessions with an impressive roster of older and more contemporary jazz artists.

His jazz style includes funky rhythms–many of which he recorded on the famed Blue Note label. When listening to Horace Silver, you get a strong urge to get up and dance. He always managed to create something new and was not afraid to experiment with different sounds and styles. His style generated heated debates between fans of his traditional jazz music and fans of his more contemporary jazz genre that continue to this day.

Horace Silver’s awards are extensive and include the Blue Note Records Awards, an Honorary Doctorate from the  Berklee School of Music, a NARAS Grammy Nomination for The “Hardbop Grandpop” album, a Drew Living Legend/Lifetime Achievement Award, a Congressional Letter of Recognition, and a National Academy of Arts & Sciences (N.A.R.A.S) President’s Merit Award, to name a few.  The list is more extensive and impressive than I have space to report.  A true jazz legend, we are proud to claim him as ‘one of us’.  These are the things that make us proud to be African. 

Horace Silver is now much older and, according to sources close to him, suffering from Alzheimers.  Thankfully he has left us a legacy of great jazz and an innovative trail that can be followed by all who are so inclined. To learn more about him, visit his website.