Horace Silver is one of the last giants remaining from the incredible
flowering and creative extension of bebop music that became known as
"hard bop" in the 1950s. This freewheeling autobiography of the great
composer, pianist, and bandleader takes us from his childhood in
Norwalk, Connecticut, through his rise to fame as a musician in New
York, to his comfortable life "after the road" in California. During
that time, Silver composed an impressive repertoire of tunes that have
become standards and recorded a number of classic albums. Well-seasoned
with anecdotes about the music, the musicians, and the milieu in which
he worked and prospered, Silver's narrative--like his music--is earthy,
vernacular, and intimate. His stories resonate with lessons learned from
hearing and playing alongside such legends as Art Blakey, Charlie
Parker, and Lester Young. His irrepressible sense of humor combined with
his distinctive spirituality make his account both entertaining and
inspiring. Most importantly, Silver's unique take on the music and the
people who play it opens a window onto the creative process of jazz and
the social and cultural worlds in which it flourishes.
Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty also describes Silver's spiritual
awakening in the late 1970s. This transformation found its expression in
the electronic and vocal music of the three-part work called The United
States of Mind and eventually led the musician to start his own record
label, Silveto. Silver details the economic forces that eventually
persuaded him to put Silveto to rest and to return to the studios of
major jazz recording labels like Columbia, Impulse, and Verve, where he
continued expanding his catalogue of new compositions and recordings
that are at least as impressive as his earlier work.
