Anush Apoyan

The Preacher: a Tribute to Horace Silver Anush Apoyan

The reason, why I chose to do the Horace Silver project is very simple. At the very beginning, when I heard Silver?s music, I felt it was exactly what I was missing in today?s music: the soul and the melody ? two important components in music that can address my spirit. Horace Silver is one of the most important figures of Hard Bop. This style began in the 50?s as an answer to Bebop and Cool Jazz. Both of those turned the large audience off for several reasons; the dancers of the prior Swing era couldn?t dance to it; it deviated too far from the Afro-American roots becoming more European ? like. The rhythmic aspects of Be-Bop era incorporated in Silvers music, but the most important Afro-American aspects he brought back to Jazz music were the Gospel, Blues, Rhythm and Blues and Swing feeling along with ?Funkiness?.