SILVER, Horace - SALOU, Michel (photo.).

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Photographic portrait of Silver in concert. Superb shot taken onstage, close behind Silver, who is framed by the raised lid of the piano, through which bassist Gene Taylor is visible. This probably dates to the Paris Olympia gig of 6 October 1962, which featured the classic lineup of his quintet.Silver (1928-2014) is "the defining stylist of hard-bop piano … and one of the most enduring of small-group leaders" (Cook & Morton). At this time his group comprised Junior Cook (tenor), Blue Mitchell (trumpet), and Roy Brooks (drums). A recording of the date was finally released in 2002 as Horace Silver: Paris Blues: "In essence, this is hard bop reaching perfection, neither al dente nor over-cooked. All of the songs are lengthy Silver compositions" (All About Jazz website).The photographer, Michel Salou, worked as a music executive, producing albums by, among others, Sun Ra (Live in Paris at the "Gibus", 1973), the Mal Waldron Trio (Ursula, 1978), and French pianists George Arvanitas and Rene Urtreger. He also appears in the annals of the Art Ensemble of Chicago as their "first booking agent... who helped them secure concert dates across France and elsewhere in Europe" (Steinbeck, p. 130). His excellent work as a lensman appears to have gone virtually unnoticed, except that the National Portrait Gallery holds a single print of Ray Charles in performance.

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