Horace Silver

American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, born September 2, 1928, in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA; died June 18, 2014 (age 85), in New Rochelle, New York, USA.

Son of John Tavares Silver (Silva), of Portuguese descent, born in the Cape Verde Islands, and Gertrude Silver, of New Canaan, Connecticut.

Pioneer of the hard bop style of jazz in the 1950s/1960s. Got first break backing Stan Getz in 1950 during a club date in Hartford, Connecticut. Soon relocated to New York, and made recording debut for Blue Note in 1952. In 1953, joined with Art Blakey to form a cooperative under their joint leadership. Recorded exclusively for Blue Note until the late 1970s, when he founded his own label, Silveto Records in 1980. Signed to Columbia Records in the early 1990s, suffered health problems though the 1990s, made final studio recording for Verve in 1998, briefly returned to performing in 2004, diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2007.