Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” is my favorite jazz tune. I love playing the bass lines of bossa novas, and this song’s melody frequently gets stuck in my head. In fact, I’m listening to this piece as I write this and keep finding myself distracted and grooving out to the music. After visiting Brazil during Carnival, Silver wrote the melody for “Song for My Father.” He realized that while the rhythm was Brazilian, the melody was in a Cape Verdean style. Silver recalled his father’s request to do jazz renditions of Cape Verdean songs and decided to dedicate this new piece to him. Silver’s father is even pictured on Blue Note, the album featuring “Song for My Father.”
The Horace Silver Quintet’s performance of “Song for My Father” begins with the Brazilian bass line for a few bars before the melody is introduced by the trumpet and saxophone. The A section has many quick notes that contrast with the sustained notes in the B section. The pianist takes the first solo, maintaining a consistent amount of energy throughout. The second solo is taken by the saxophonist. The beginning is very calm- a feeling created by the soft dynamic and (relatively) slow notes- and creates a bit of a break between the two solos. This calmness soon turns to a whirlwind of quick notes before dwindling down to nothing. The melody returns, and the piece is punctuated by two hard, quick notes.
After listening to the Horace Silver Quintet’s performance, I was quite surprised (in a good way!) when Victor Wooten’s version began. It is introduced not by the bass line I had grown accustomed to in the previous performance but with rapid sixteen notes. In fact, the traditional bossa nova bass line is replaced by an electric guitar carving out a new, syncopated rhythm that causes the piece to sound less Brazilian. This observation highlights the effect a bassline can have on the style of a piece of music; if you change the bassline, you have a drastically different style. The energy established in the beginning remains intense for the first half of the piece while a saxophone, guitar, and keyboard take solos until the bass solo when nearly all the instruments drop out. This calmness is broken up by an impressive run played by the bassist. A drum solo follows with accompaniment reminiscent of the two final notes of the Horace Silver Quintet’s performance before the melody returns and the piece reaches its conclusion.
These two performances are starkly different from one another. Where Silver’s makes me want to sway side-to-side, Wooten’s has me tapping my foot and nodding my head. Silver’s is much more relaxed and is heavily influenced by Brazilian music whereas Wooten’s is incredibly high-energy and sounds much more modern. Wooten’s performance is particularly interesting to me as a bass player. His precision is incredible and something I had not known was possible. I also love the beautiful beginning to his solo as it creates emotion that I, once again, did not imagine could not be produced on a bass. Overall, both performances are wonderful and draw upon very different moods. They are excellent representations on how a single melody can be used in unique ways.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it! I love bossa novas, and having an excuse to listen to a selection of them on repeat was great. I’ll catch you in the next blog!
– Lauren Raimbault, Assistant Prose Editor
Lauren Raimbault – Social Media Editor, Asst. Prose Editor & Blogger: Lauren is a Lewis University Senior studying English with a concentration in General Writing. She also mentors her peers at the university’s Writing Center. In addition to her academic pursuits, Lauren has played the violin since 2011 and currently serves as Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. She also recently began learning bass guitar and plays in her university’s jazz band. When not writing or practicing, she enjoys reading thrillers and fantasy novels, crocheting, and playing video games.