Horace Silver
Piano Solo on
Wee-Dot

About

Horace Silver's piano solo is the 3rd of 4 on this recording, spanning eleven choruses at approximately 287 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 12-bar Blues form and the key of B♭, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. Positioned between Clifford Brown and Curly Russell, Silver bridges the conversation between the two. Johnson and Leo Parker, the 12-bar blues in B-flat is taken at approximately 270 bpm, providing extended solo space for three of the quintet's members. The brisk pace leaves little room for hesitation, rewarding decisive melodic choices.

Horace Silver was 25 to 26 years old at the time.