Song for My Father

Recording history and tape provenance

Horace Silver was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1928 to John Tavares Silva, a Cape Verdean immigrant who played guitar and sang at family gatherings, and an Irish-Black American mother. One detailed account traces the formative moment to age 11: Silver and his father happened to be on the sidewalk as the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra's band members got off their tour bus and headed into a club; Silver begged to listen in at the door, and from that point on knew he wanted a career in music. He studied piano and saxophone through his teens, gigging on saxophone in local clubs – but a slight curvature of the spine both got him rejected from national service in 1946 and pushed him to switch to piano full-time after high school. A chance encounter in Hartford, Connecticut led to Stan Getz hiring Silver's local trio as a backing group; Silver toured and recorded with Getz through 1950–51 before relocating to New York, where his style quickly caught the attention of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. His first lasting relationship with Blue Note came via saxophonist Lou Donaldson in 1952; when Donaldson backed out of a planned follow-up session that year, Alfred Lion suggested Silver lead a trio date instead, resulting in the 10" release New Faces, New Sounds. Silver co-founded the Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey in 1954 (the group's earliest releases were credited to Silver, not Blakey), then split from Blakey in 1956 – largely because Silver wanted no part of the heroin culture that had taken hold of the band – to launch his own quintet, initially with Hank Mobley, Art Farmer, Doug Watkins, and Louis Hayes. By 1964 he had produced a run of Blue Note classics – Blowin' the Blues Away, Horace-Scope, The Tokyo Blues – and was one of the label's most reliably commercial artists, having led a stable quintet (Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Gene Taylor, and Louis Hayes or Roy Brooks) from 1959 through the eve of this album's sessions.

In early 1964 Silver visited Brazil as a guest of pianist Sergio Mendes during Carnival. In his autobiography Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty (2006), he recalled: "After returning home from my visit with Sergio... I was haunted by the bossa nova rhythm I had heard in Brazil... I sat down at the piano for a few hours and came up with a new song using the bossa nova rhythm. However, the melody didn't sound Brazilian to me; it sounded more like some of the old Cape Verdean melodies my dad had played." He immediately dedicated it to his father. The album peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200 – exceptional for a jazz record in the middle of Beatlemania. The opening bassline was later interpolated by Steely Dan for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (1974), and the horn riff borrowed by Stevie Wonder for "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing."

By October 1964, Silver was transitioning between quintets. His older band – Mitchell, Cook, Taylor, Brooks – had been together five years and contributed "Calcutta Cutie" and "Lonely Woman" from the October 1963 session. The newer group, built around Henderson and Jones, recorded the title track, "The Natives Are Restless Tonight," "The Kicker," and "Que Pasa?" The contrast between the two lineups is audible: the older band is bluesier and looser; Henderson and Jones bring a more open, searching modal quality.

The title track: The bossa nova rhythm (an AAB form in F minor) is carried by a repeating bass vamp. Silver wrote in his liner notes: "I was very much impressed by the authentic bossa nova beat, the real bossa nova feeling, which I've tried to incorporate into this number." The melody, however, came from his Cape Verdean inheritance – his father John Tavares Silva had played guitar at family gatherings, leading the room in old Portuguese folk songs from the islands. Jason Moran told Everything Jazz that "Song for My Father" was the first complete solo he ever learned as a pianist.

Joe Henderson's solo: Henderson's solo on the title track is cited by musicologists as a masterclass in motivic development – Wikipedia notes that it is "one of the great motivically based solos in recorded jazz; all derived from his three opening notes." Henderson was in his early Blue Note period and this performance helped establish his reputation.

"The Kicker" is the only non-Silver track – composed by Joe Henderson – and features a furious drum solo from Roger Humphries, who was 20 at the time. "Que Pasa?" closes the original LP; "Lonely Woman" is a piano trio ballad from 1963, featuring Silver, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums, delivered with uncommon restraint. "Calcutta Cutie" (also 1963) opens with a slow feel that accelerates into swing, showcasing Silver's guitar-like piano interjections.

Cover: Designed by Reid Miles with a Francis Wolff photograph of John Tavares Silva – dignified, pipe in hand, the image an embodiment of the album's emotional source. Leonard Feather wrote the original liner notes, drawing on direct quotes from Silver about the Brazilian and Cape Verdean origins.

Tape provenance: The original Alfred Lion–era tapes are in the Blue Note/Universal archive, but the title track carries a documented flaw: a piano speed/warble irregularity present on every reissue since the initial 1965 pressings, including CDs and the Blue Note Classic Vinyl. Music Matters' Joe Harley has stated the issue traces to the tape itself, not to any individual pressing or transfer. For their 2010 45rpm reissue, Music Matters commissioned Jamie Howarth of Airshow Mastering to apply his "Plangent Process" restoration specifically to the title track – a targeted fix not available on any other modern pressing. The Classic Vinyl's reported issues on "Lonely Woman" and the title track's flutter are this same underlying tape condition, not a Classic-Vinyl-specific manufacturing defect, though Classic Vinyl copies have separately shown unrelated QC problems (dished vinyl, underweight pressings) reported by multiple buyers.

Mono vs. stereo

Both the mono (BLP 4185) and stereo (BST 84185) are native recordings from separate Van Gelder tape chains – the stereo is not a fold-down. Most collectors prefer the mono: it has more midrange weight and the rhythm section anchor is more immediate. The stereo's wide spread suits the two-quintet personnel split, placing the two horn voices clearly in the field. Either is a legitimate choice; mono is the slight recommendation for concentrated listening, stereo for revealing the rhythm section's detail.

Original US Blue Note pressings

Catalogue: BLP 4185 (mono) / BST 84185 (stereo)

First pressing – New York USA label

Blue Note's "New York USA" label was in use from 1963–67. Authentication markers for the earliest copies:

• "Blue Note Records Inc. • New York USA" on labels
• Van Gelder stamp in the deadwax
• Plastylite P ("ear") in the deadwax
• Deep groove labels on earliest copies (typically Side 1 only for this 1965 release)
• Matrix: BNST-84185-A VAN GELDER P / BNST-84185-B VAN GELDER P (stereo); BNL-4185-A VAN GELDER P / BNL-4185-B VAN GELDER P (mono)
• Standard single sleeve with liner notes on the back cover; some copies have "25 Years Blue Note" or "27 Years Blue Note" inner sleeve – the "25 Years" sleeve is consistent with an original 1965 first pressing; the "27 Years" sleeve indicates a slightly later pressing within the original NY USA label era (1966–67)

Note: r2019742 on Discogs shows a "43 West 61st" address pressing – this is the standard first pressing label for this title. True first pressings of Song for My Father (1965) feature "43 West 61st St., New York 23" on the label combined with "Blue Note Records Inc. • New York USA" in the rim text; these are not mutually exclusive but appear together on the same label. The true NY USA copies are the standard first pressing for most BN 4000-series titles released from late 1962 through mid-1966.

NM originals command a real premium over VG+ copies.

Liberty-era pressings (1966–1971)

"A Division of Liberty Records Inc." label text. Van Gelder stamps remain on many. Affordable and adequate.

The reissue hierarchy

Music Matters 45rpm 2LP (2010) – the only pressing that fixes the title-track warble

Cat. MMBST-84185 | Format: 2×180g LP, 45rpm, gatefold, limited to 2,500 numbered copies. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original master tapes, with a custom restoration of the title track by Jamie Howarth of Airshow Mastering using his "Plangent Process." This is the pressing to own if the title track's well-documented warble bothers you: one reviewer noted the improvement is "greatly improved over the McMaster CD, and all but those who are the most sensitive to such fluctuations should hardly notice it at all." The rest of the album benefits from full 45rpm resolution, with reviewers singling out Teddy Smith's bass and Joe Henderson's tenor as newly vivid. "Lonely Woman" still shows some inherent boxiness in Silver's piano sound, a limitation of the original recording rather than the reissue. Gatefold sleeve with high-resolution session photos. Out of print. Discogs

Blue Note Classic Vinyl 180g (2020) – the accessible modern option

Cat. BST 84185 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original master tapes. Pressed at Optimal in Germany. Kevin Gray's mastering is good, but this pressing carries the same title-track warble as virtually every reissue since 1965 (unaddressed here, unlike the Music Matters), and Discogs community reviews additionally document separate manufacturing QC issues: dished vinyl, underweight pressings, and audible flutter reported by multiple buyers. One owner: "Mine is very dished and it's very audibly noticeable." One direct comparison against the Music Matters SRX – part of a series comparing several Blue Note Classic Series/SRX pairs across different titles – found this Classic Vinyl copy convincing on its own terms ("beautiful sounding record, very beautiful sound stage"), but noted the gap to the SRX version was the largest of the four album pairs tested (alongside Sidewinder, The Real McCoy, and Speak No Evil): the SRX offered more dynamics, tempo, and a wider soundstage, attributed largely to a quieter vinyl compound with less surface noise obscuring detail. Given the substantial price gap between the two, the reviewer still recommended the Classic Vinyl as the practical choice for most buyers. Inspect before buying, or buy from a seller with a return policy.

1984 DMM reissue – a genuine, overlooked vintage option

A US pressing manufactured for Manhattan Records and Capitol Industries/EMI by EMI France, using Direct Metal Mastering (DMM). Comes with an obi, a "The Blue Note Story" printed inner sleeve, and a round Blue Note promotional poster. One detailed listen called it "sounds really good" and found no urgency to upgrade from it despite its unassuming, "somewhat weird" period packaging – an easy pressing to overlook given how little collector attention it's received relative to the Music Matters or Classic Vinyl, but a genuine option if found cheaply. Pricing not well established; check current listings.

Japanese pressings

King Records GXF-3017 (1977), licensed from Blue Note for the Japanese market. A well-regarded vintage Japanese pressing on King's characteristically quiet vinyl formulation from this era, comparable in reputation to King's other late-1970s Blue Note licenses. Typically found with obi.

Pressings to avoid

Liberty/UA pressings without Van Gelder stamp: Some later Liberty-era copies were cut from dubs. Inspect deadwax before purchasing.

Generic European reissues: Various 1970s European reissues on Stateside and related imprints. Not recommended over the Classic Vinyl.

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): The Blue Note Classic Vinyl BST 84185 (2020) – the most affordable current option. Kevin Gray mastering, Optimal pressing. Buy with a return policy given documented QC variation; the title-track warble is present here.

$$ (Affordable): A Liberty-era pressing with Van Gelder stamp for an affordable period-metal copy without Classic Vinyl QC risk.

$$ (Affordable): A King Records GXF-3017 Japanese pressing (1977) for a quiet vintage alternative.

$$$$ (Premium): The Music Matters 45rpm 2LP (MMBST-84185, 2010) – the only pressing that specifically fixes the title track's warble, on the secondary market now that it's out of print.

$$$$$ (Grail / Rare): An original New York USA label pressing in honest VG+, with Van Gelder stamp and Plastylite ear confirmed – the definitive listening copy, and among the few pressings genuinely free of the warble issue.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/155008-The-Horace-Silver-Quintet-Song-For-My-Father-Cantiga-Para-Meu-Pai
• Wikipedia, "Song for My Father (album)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_for_My_Father_(album)
• Wikipedia, "Song for My Father (composition)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_for_My_Father_(composition)
• Everything Jazz, "Horace Silver: Song For My Father": https://www.everythingjazz.com/story/horace-silver-song-for-my-father/
• My Vinyl Review, "The Horace Silver Quintet: Song For My Father -- Music Matters 45 RPM Vinyl": https://myvinylreview.blogspot.com/2010/08/horace-silver-quintet-song-for-my.html
• All About Jazz, Greg Simmons, review of the Music Matters reissue: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/horace-silver-song-for-my-father-horace-silver-by-greg-simmons
• The Skeptical Audiophile, "Horace Silver – Song For My Father": https://ontherecord.co/2024/04/10/horace-silver-song-for-my-father/
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original BLP 4185/BST 84185, Music Matters MMBST-84185, Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Japanese King GXF-3017, 1984 DMM reissue, Liberty-era pressings)
• YouTube, 45 RPM Audiophile, "Shootout: Blue Note: Classic Series: Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PugtljXJVAk
• YouTube, Ten-Minute Record Reviews, "Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father (Episode 246)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5SxTmPQxbs
• YouTube, Deep Groove Mono, "Opening a sealed vintage copy of Horace Silver Song for My Father": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKZoeeeLG6Y

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