Horace Silver - 1954
‘Doodlin’ first appeared on the 1954 album ’Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers’. The A section is a “roots blues”; while the B section has an interesting series of diminished chords moving chromatically, completely in keeping with the A section.
Horace Silver was never derivative, but he seemingly drew inspiration from any and all music he came in touch with. From the music of his father’s Cape Verde homeland (‘The Cape Verdean Blues’) to the music he heard while touring Japan (‘The Tokyo Blues’) he was able to absorb styles and genres into his very personal soundscape.
In 1954-55 Silver brought his interpretation of “roots music” to the fore (Doodlin’, ‘The Preacher’, ‘Hippy’, ‘Silver’s Blue’). It would soon inspire many other players to try blending “bebop” with “rhythm and blues”.
Silver would have been very aware of the growing popularity of artists like Jimmy Witherspoon and Johnny Otis at this time. In response, it would have been very easy for him to dip into his own bag of roots music since he had been absorbing the music of LeRoy Carr, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford and Willie ‘the Lion’ Smith since he was in high school.
Silver solos on the A section, inventing “familiar” melodies reminiscent of gospel and blues; notice the ‘call and response’ phrases. The melodies are familiar, but it never seems like you can say “oh, that sounds like…”. Rhythm has a lot to do with this – it’s unique (or at least it was at the time).
