As a seminal jazz composer and pianist, Horace Silver has the right to crack a few jokes. He was there when such greats as Art Blakey, Doug Watkins, and Hank Mobley were getting their start with the Jazz Messengers, and he helped give exposure to everyone from drummer Louis Hayes to trumpeter Lee Morgan. But if you are expecting Silver to look back with some amusement on what must be his 30th recording, think again. Outside of the cryptic song titles, Jazz Has A Sense Of Humor offers the same hard bop grooves the Caribbean-born jazz legend has been making his entire career. Now a little slower, but no less sure on the 88 keys, his mellow-toned tunes arenÕt revolutionary now, but they recall a time when hard bop was as fresh as punk rock.
ÒThe Mama SuiteÓ offers three views of one special lady: ÒNot Enough Mama,Ó an uptempo Latin missive, ÒToo Much Mama,Ó a jolly blues swing, and ÒJust Tight Mama,Ó a gospel-bossa that proves that you can find a good woman in church. ÒPhilly Millie,Ó ÒAh-Ma-Tell,Ó and ÒWhere Do I Go From HereÓ are stock Silver tunes, full of his tasty R&B comping and good solos from trumpeter Ryan Kisor and saxophonist Jimmy Greene. More interesting is ÒI Love AnnieÕs Fanny,Ó a smoky, percolating swing song that recalls Henry Mancini in Pink Panther mode, and ÒGloria,Ó another lovely island tune that is breezy and slightly melancholy. Nothing new (and no Òclassic jazzÓ thankfully) from the Hard Bop Grandpop, just more of what made him justly famous.
