
The Horace Silver Quintet - Serenade to a Soul Sister
Piano: Horace Silver [click here to see more vinyl featuring Horace Silver]
Trumpet: Charles Tolliver (A1–3, B1–2) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Charles Tolliver]
Tenor Saxophone: Stanley Turrentine (A1–3) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Stanley Turrentine]
Tenor Saxophone: Bennie Maupin (B1–2) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Bennie Maupin]
Bass: Bob Cranshaw (A1–3), John Williams (B1–2)
Drums: Mickey Roker (A1–3), Billy Cobham (B1–2)
Written by Horace Silver (all tracks)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Optimal
Label : Blue Note Classic vinyl series
Original Label : Blue Note
Recorded: February 23 and March 29, 1968, at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Produced by Francis Wolff
Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Cover Design by Forlenza Venosa Associates
Photography by Billy Cobham (cover) & Francis Wolff (liner)
Originally Released in June 1968
Reissued in 2025
Tracks :
Side A:
- Psychedelic Sally
- Serenade to a Soul Sister
- Rain Dance
Side B:
- Jungle Juice
- Kindred Spirits
- Next Time I Fall in Love
Review :
“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. It was recorded at two separate early-1968 sessions with two mostly different quintets, both featuring trumpeter Charles Tolliver and alternating tenor saxophonists Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, bassists Bob Cranshaw and John Williams, and drummers Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham. (Williams and Cobham were making some of their first recorded appearances since exiting the military.) Silver's economical, rhythmic piano style had often been described as funky, but the fantastic opener "Psychedelic Sally" makes that connection more explicit and contemporary, featuring a jubilant horn theme and a funky bass riff that both smack of Memphis soul. (In fact, it's kind of a shame he didn't pursue this idea more.) Keeping the album's playful spirit going, "Rain Dance" is a campy American Indian-style theme, and "Jungle Juice" has a mysterious sort of exotic, tribal flavor. "Kindred Spirits" has a different, more ethereal sort of mystery, and "Serenade to a Soul Sister" is a warm, loose-swinging tribute. 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.” AllMusic Review by Steve Huey
Rating:
AllMusic 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs 4.45 / 5