Jazz musician Horace Silver, a composer known for pioneering hard bop, has died, National Public Radio (NPR) said on Wednesday. He was 85.
Silver, a native of Norwalk, Connecticut, was shaped by the Portuguese influence in the islands of Cape Verde, from where his family emigrated to the United States.
Alongside playing with noted jazz musicians such as bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Art Blakey, Silver, who played piano and saxophone, recorded exclusively for Blue Note Records over three decades before founding his own label, Silveto Records.
Silver composed music featuring percussive, hard-driving beats that was inspired by his philosophy of holistic self-help, jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote in his Encyclopedia of Jazz. His most notable works include Song For My Father, inspired by Cape Verdean folk music and gospel-driven The Preacher. His work also appeared on a number of Miles Davis’ albums, including 1954’s Walkin’.
NPR said Silver’s son Gregory had called in directly with the news of his death. Attempts to reach Silver’s family were unsuccessful.
