Horace Silver: Nutville

On half of The Cape Verdean Blues, Horace Silver added guest J.J. Johnson to his quintet. This enables us to hear Johnson soloing in a Silverian context, and also to hear Silver's writing for three horns instead of the usual two.

Silver makes full use of Johnson both as soloist and ensemble player. "Nutville," a galloping minor-blues mambo/jazz hybrid, is a barnburner from start to finish, with memorable solos by the three horns, Silver, and Roger Humphries. Humphries at the time was a highly promising drummer barely in his 20s. He made three albums with Silver and eventually returned home to Pittsburgh, where he has had a distinguished if relatively low-visibility career to this day.