The Latin Side of Horace Silver Conrad Herwig

• 1 Nica's Dream 07:39
• 2 Song for My Father 10:38
• 3 The Gods of Yoruba 11:39
• 4 Peace 08:12
• 5 The Cape Verdean Blues 09:28
• 6 Filthy McNasty 10:53
• 7 Silver's Serenade 08:56
• 8 Nutville 11:34
• Total Runtime 01:18:59

Info for The Latin Side of Horace Silver

In 1996 trombonist Conrad Herwig unveiled the first installment in the popular "Latin Side of" series with the Grammy-nominated The Latin Side of John Coltrane. Since that time other volumes have followed with the current release, The Latin Side of Horace Silver being the latest addition to the franchise. Herwig has assembled an all-star band of his favorite colleagues including tenor sax great Igor Butman along with special guest, the Grammy-winning Dominican pianist, Michel Camilo. "The great thing about jazz is that nothing is so sacred that it can't be recomposed and reinvented and rediscovered," said Herwig, who goes on to prove it by refracting the music of the legendary Horace Silver through his own love of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

The exuberant piano of Michel Camilo weaves in and out of this classic tune displaying his full virtuosic abilities of lightning-fast runs, jackhammer chords and wildly ambidextrous poly-rhythms. While the Dominican pianist’s musical personality is omnipresent, Igor Butman takes a tenor turn notable for an exuberance of his own in the form of a few deftly placed “cackle-attacks.” Next the leader is in the spotlight taking an imaginative solo with impressive machine gun-like repeated notes punctuated by some treacherous leaps cutting in like hatchet blows. Finally, before the band enters to take the tune out, conga player Richie Flores delivers a jaw-dropping solo over a modal vamp in the piano and bass.

Conrad Herwig, trombone
Igor Butman, tenor saxophone
Craig Handy, alto saxophone, flute
Alex Sipiagin, trumpet, flugelhorn
Bill O'Connell, piano
Ruben Rodriguez, bass
Robby Ameen, drums
Richie Flores, congas
Special Guest:
Michel Camilo, piano

Conrad Herwig
New York jazz artist Conrad Herwig has recorded almost 30 albums as a leader, receiving four GRAMMY®-nominations for his own projects. His previous recording for Savant Records was The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner. This album marked 27+ years of the "Latin Side . . ." series, and is a follow-up project to The Latin Side of Mingus (Savant, 2022), and The “Latin Side of …” tributes to Horace Silver (Savant, 2020), Joe Henderson (Half Note, 2014), Herbie Hancock (Half Note, 2010) Wayne Shorter (Half Note, 2008), Miles Davis (Half Note, 2004), and John Coltrane (Astor Place, 1996). These exciting and individualized projects feature an array of special guests including Randy Brecker, Ruben Blades, Michel Camilo, Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Valentin and many of the hottest players on the international scene.

Herwig, one of the most adventurous voices in Latin jazz, is back with a terrific new Savant release, Reflections-Facing South. This time, he’s teamed up again with the late Eddie Palmieri, a true icon of the genre, and bassist Luques Curtis, forming a trio that breaks all the rules. What sets this album apart, besides featuring the legendary Eddie Palmieri? There’s no drummer. In a musical style as rhythm-centric as Latin jazz, going drum-less is almost unheard of – but that’s precisely what makes this project so exciting. Curtis keeps the pulse moving forward with his rock-solid, melodic bass playing, while Palmieri fires up all his usual excitement and rhythmic complexity, using the piano like a percussion instrument. Herwig, of course, soars over it all with his high-flying, bold and fluid trombone sound. Herwig and Palmieri go way back, having played together on several of Palmieri’s Grammy-winning records.

Booklet for The Latin Side of Horace Silver