Horace Silver - 'Shirl'

[A Lark Ascending]

...and the latest gem to emerge from my current field trip around the Blue Note end of my collection.

'Shirl' off Silver's 'Six Piece of Silver.' Wow! What a beautiful piece, almost Ravellian! I love the harmonic ambiguity of the piece...it never quite seems to settle but turns up another glorious set of notes with each change.

Reminded me at times of Ellington's solo ruminations...things like '...and His Mother Called Him Bill' or 'Single Petal of a Rose' (both of which would have been recorded later, but I'd imagine Silver was working off Ellington's style in general!).

But the other immediate reference point I got was off in the future - Keith Jarrett's marvellous 'Facing You.'

One I'll be playing a lot.