Harold Rome's The Zulu and the Zayda is a genuine curiosity in the Broadway catalog. Set in contemporary South Africa, it imagines a burgeoning friendship between a sociable old Jewish grandfather (Zayda) and the native (Zulu) he hires as a companion. Rome's score allows the characters to pause and reflect in song, cleverly illustrating the different cultural elements at play in the story. The cast includes Yiddish theater star Menasha Skulnik, Louis Gossett, Jr., Ossie Davis and Yaphet Kotto.

"Inescapably touching...something to warm the heart, lighten the spirit." - New York Daily News

"Mr. Skulnik is a many-splendored thing." - New York Herald Tribune

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. On his first Blue Note date since relinquishing the Jazz Messengers moniker to Art Blakey, Horace Silver struck gold with the 1956 album, 6 Pieces of Silver, a sterling set of hard bop that introduced his indelible composition "Se¤or Blues." The pianist was joined by an ace quintet featuring Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Doug Watkins, and Louis Hayes. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

The Tokyo Blues is an album that reflects Horace Silver's deep musicality, cultural curiosity, and love for the blues. It's combination of relaxed grooves, melodic beauty, and hints of Eastern influence make it a unique and memorable work within Silver's extensive catalog. It's a perfect example of how jazz can both explore new territories and remain grounded in it's own traditions, showcasing Silver's versatility as both a pianist and a composer. Released in 1962 it is considered a gem within Horace Silver's prolific career and offers an intriguing combination of Horace Silver's unique jazz language with the subtle influence of his experiences in Japan, producing a warm, thoughtful, and musically rich album. Horace Silver's The Tokyo Blues is the result of his quintet's tour of Japan in 1961, which left a strong impression on him. While on tour, Silver was struck by the culture, atmosphere, and aesthetics of Japan, which he sought to translate into the musical language he was deeply rooted in hard bop. The album, however, doesn't feature overt Japanese musical scales or instrumentation, but rather evokes a mood and a sense of place. Silver's approach was more about integrating his impressions of Japan, it's serenity, beauty, and mood of reflection, into the compositions. He did this within the framework of the jazz tradition, creating music that remains unmistakably his own. His quintet was already known for it's catchy themes, complex rhythms, and inventive solos, and The Tokyo Blues adds a layer of atmospheric and emotional depth to that established style. In the early 1960s, Horace Silver was at the height of his creative powers. His work was instrumental in shaping the hard bop movement, a style that emphasized blues, gospel, and soul influences over the more intricate, intellectual sounds of bebop. The Tokyo Blues stands as an example of Silver's ability to evolve his sound while staying true to the groove-based essence of hard bop.