Chosen By: Dean
Comments -
Paul: I'm going to have to break protocol and not listen to the whole album. In the process I will establish a new protocol. Let me explain...
I started listening on Wednesday afternoon, you may have seen my message to Ben at 3:30. Two minutes later I updated the blog draft page with my first thoughts: "Piano, bass, percussion, working together yes. Over-insistent brass section with a saxophone being played by a grizzly bear being attacked by wasps - not for me. Drum solos"
I then returned to moving some old files around folders when I suddenly became very anxious. 'This is daft', I thought, 'it's only moving a few files about'.
I woke up two minutes later feeling terrible. I must have passed out. Drenched in sweat, groggy, physically exhausted, nauseous and more besides. Mandy called 111 and I had a good chat with them, well the best I could with my slowed-down speech.
Rather than thinking I might have had a heart attack, which was my first thought, I started to wonder if I'd had a seizure. I got to see a medical professional on the Thursday and he doesn't think seizure thankfully, possibly a vasovagel - a neurologically-induced blood pressure drop. I'm due some more tests.
Now I can't prove that The Horace Silver Quintet are completely the cause of that. It could be that the discordance of it combined with a current eye issue and the heat caused some sort of brain overwhelm and I shut down, It could be any number of other unknown reasons that reared up at that exact moment. But I'm not taking any chances.
So new protocol - you have to listen to the full album unless there's a possibility it might cause you immediate health problems. And if we could lay off Hard Bop and Free Jazz in the future that would be great, ta.
Ben: Well despite the saxaphone I really like this record. The ambience over loudspeakers especially makes me think of small, smoke-filled jazz cafes. I find the sound of the drums particularly interesting. It’s great to have the record on in the background while I’m scrolling, and I find the lack of vocals liberating - no pressure to listen to the story just let the sound of the music wash around you. I suspect it’s the most saxaphoney record Ive ever liked and definitely the only one Ive ever given a ⭐️ to.
Dean: No rewards for guessing I enjoy SFMF. Silver does it differently to the others. He manages to synthesise that harmony into something almost laconic, something harmoniously persistent, something simple. It is a favourite of mine because it inspired more interest in jazz when I was searching for a way in.
Perhaps it had something to do with the repetitive and still satisfying language he manages to create.
There is something about jazz that will be difficult to pin down. It seems to live beyond our understanding, illusive to description like some parts of our most perilous emotional world and that is where it may transcend words and inept human utterances.
Very happy you liked it Ben. Sorry it lowered your blood pressure Paul, but it could, at some other, more stressful time be your go-to drug of choice? I know... I'm being ridiculous now,⭐
Stu: Listening now and enjoying its piano lilt and sax explosions. I’ve enjoyed this record very much! I will add that it’s served very much as a background sound like a soundtrack or elevator music BUT not in a negative way at all! I can picture myself reading a book and sipping on something like a tequila sunrise whilst now and then staring at the needle following the records groove on the turntable
Very much a mood record and one to chill one’s senses, indeed opposite to what it did to Peej ⭐
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