Silver 'n Strings Play the Music of the Spheres

Silver 'n Strings Play the Music of the Spheres is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver, his final released on the Blue Note label.^[1]^[2] It features performances by Silver with Tom Harrell, Larry Schneider, Ron Carter, and Al Foster, with vocals by Gregory Hines, Brenda Alford, Carol Lynn Maillard, and Chapman Roberts, and an overdubbed string section conducted by Wade Marcus.^[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[5]

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "He was never as strong a lyricist as he was a composer and pianist so the vocals weigh down the music a bit. The songtitles probably kept a few of these pieces from becoming better-known".^[4]

Track listing

All compositions and lyrics by Horace Silver

Side One:

"(The Physical Sphere) The Soul and Its Expression Part One: The Search for Direction" –
"(The Physical Sphere) The Soul and Its Expression Part Two: Direction Discovered" –
"(The Physical Sphere) The Soul and Its Expression Part Three: We All Have a Part to Play" –

Side Two:

"(The Physical Sphere – continued) The Soul and Its Progress Throughout the Spheres Part One: Self Portrait No. 1 (Written 1973)" –
"(The Physical Sphere – continued) The Soul and Its Progress Throughout the Spheres Part Two: Self Portrait No. 2 (Written 1978)" –
"(The Physical Sphere – continued) The Soul and Its Progress Throughout the Spheres Part Three: Self Portrait of the Aspiring Self (Written 1978)" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Conscious Mind) The Soul's Awareness of Its Character Part One: Character Analysis" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Conscious Mind) The Soul's Awareness of Its Character Part Two: Negative Patterns of the Subconscious" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Conscious Mind) The Soul's Awareness of Its Character Part Three: The Conscious and Its Desire for Change" –

Side Three:

"(The Mental Sphere – Sub-Conscious Mind) The Pygmalion Process Part One: Inner Feelings" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Sub-Conscious Mind) The Pygmalion Process Part Two: Friends" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Sub-Conscious Mind) The Pygmalion Process Part Three: Empathy" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Sub-Conscious Mind) The Pygmalion Process Part Four: Optimism" –
"(The Mental Sphere – Sub-Conscious Mind) The Pygmalion Process Part Five: Expansion" –

Side Four:

"(The Spiritual Sphere) The Soul in Communion with the Creator Part One: Communion with the Creator" –
"(The Spiritual Sphere) The Soul in Communion with the Creator Part Two: The Creator Guides Us" –
"(The Spiritual Sphere) The Soul in Communion with the Creator Part Three: Progress, Through Dedication and Discipline" –
"(The Spiritual Sphere) The Soul in Communion with the Creator Part Four: We Expect Positive Results" –

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, November 3, 1978 (Side One), November 10, 1978 (Side Four), October 26, 1979 (Side Three), November 2, 1979 (Side Two) with strings recorded on December 10, 1979.

v t e Horace Silver
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
Blue Note albums	New Faces New Sounds (Introducing the Horace Silver Trio) (1952)/Horace Silver Trio and Art Blakey-Sabu (1952–53) Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1954–55) 6 Pieces of Silver (1956–58) The Stylings of Silver (1957) Further Explorations (1958) Live at Newport '58 (1958) Finger Poppin' with the Horace Silver Quintet (1959) Blowin' the Blues Away (1959) Horace-Scope (1960) Doin' the Thing (1961) The Tokyo Blues (1962) Silver's Serenade (1963) Song for My Father (1963–64) The Cape Verdean Blues (1965) The Jody Grind (1966) Serenade to a Soul Sister (1968) You Gotta Take a Little Love (1969) That Healin' Feelin', The United States of Mind, Phase 1 (1970) Total Response, The United States of Mind, Phase 2 (1970–71) All, The United States of Mind, Phase 3 (1972) The United States of Mind (compilation of the 3 'Phase' albums, 1970–72) In Pursuit of the 27th Man (1972) Silver 'n Brass (1975) Silver 'n Wood (1975–76) Silver 'n Voices (1976) Silver 'n Percussion (1977) Silver 'n Strings Play the Music of the Spheres (1978–79)
Albums released on other labels	Silver's Blue (1956) Live 1964 (1964) Guides to Growing Up (1981) Spiritualizing the Senses (1983) There's No Need to Struggle (1983) The Continuity of Spirit (1985) Music to Ease Your Disease (1988) Rockin' with Rachmaninoff (1991) It's Got to Be Funky (1993) Pencil Packin' Papa (1994) The Hardbop Grandpop (1996) A Prescription for the Blues (1997) Jazz Has a Sense of Humor (1998)
Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers	A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 (1954) A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 (1954) A Night at Birdland Vol. 3 (1954) At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 (1955) At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 (1955) The Jazz Messengers (1956) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956) Originally (1956)
With others	Introducing Nat Adderley (1955) Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver (Dee Dee Bridgewater, 1994) Byrd's Eye View (Donald Byrd, 1955) Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956) Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955) Al Cohn's Tones (Al Cohn, 1950) Miles Davis, Volume 3 (1954) Miles Davis Quartet/Blue Haze/Miles Davis Quintet/ Miles Davis All-Star Sextet/Walkin' (1953/54) Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins/Bags' Groove (1954) Quartet/Quintet/Sextet (Lou Donaldson, 1952) Afro-Cuban (Kenny Dorham, 1955) The Art Farmer Septet (1953–54) When Farmer Met Gryce (Art Farmer/Gigi Gryce, 1955) The Complete Roost Recordings (Stan Getz, 1950–51) Nica's Tempo (Gigi Gryce, 1955) Disorder at the Border (Coleman Hawkins, 1952) Milt Jackson Quartet (1955) Plenty, Plenty Soul (Milt Jackson, 1957) The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (J.J. Johnson, 1955) Blowing in from Chicago (Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore, 1957) Hank Mobley Quartet (1955) Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Hank Mobley and His All Stars (1957) Hank Mobley Quintet (1957) J. R. Monterose (1956) Lee Morgan Indeed! (1956) Lee Morgan Sextet (1956) Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 (1957) Clark Terry (1955)
Selected singles	"Opus de Funk" (1953) "The Preacher"/"Doodlin'" (1955/54) "Señor Blues" (1956) "Sister Sadie" (1959) "Nica's Dream" (1960) "Song for My Father" (1964)
Discography

Silver 'n Strings Play the Music of the Spheres

Track listing

Personnel

References

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