Going into the 1970s, many legendary jazz musicians lost their way, turned to other musical genres or simply stopped recording altogether. Initially it looked like Horace Silver was going to be another one of the many who would sacrifice their trademark style on the altar of the latest fad, but after a brief flirtation with lyrics and fusion on a trio of albums at the beginning of the decade, Silver smartly returned to what he did best with "In Pursuit of the 27th Man", a set that rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as his more celebrated 1950s and 60s sets, but by all rights deserves to be. Melodic and funky, with that characteristic hint of soul, this is one of the most compelling dates in Silver's entire catalog, delivering some of the catchiest tracks of his career, like "Liberated Brother" and "Gregory Is Here", and doing so without any of the Avant-garde affectations or fusion flourishes that were then sweeping the world of jazz. Silver's playing here is at times reminiscent of the best late 60s acoustic work of Herbie Hancock, which does give it a bit more contemporary of a sound, but one never gets the feeling that he's aping Hancock or trying to be anyone but himself, and the presence of vibraphonist David Friedman is another welcome, slightly contemporizing addition on four of the album's seven tracks, especially the intriguing, sinuous title track. "In Pursuit of the 27th Man" might not be on the cutting edge of what was going on in the music world at the time, but it is thoroughly enjoyable Hard Bop that will definitely delight any fan of Silver's music. - AllMusic
Tracks
1. Liberated Brother (Weldon Irvine)
2. Kathy (Livingston, Evans, Santos)
3. Gregory Is Here (H. Silver)
4. Summer In Central Park (H. Silver)
5. Nothin' Can Stop Me Now (H. Silver)
6. In Pursuit Of The 27th Man (H. Silver)
7. Strange Vibes (H. Silver)
BOB CRANSHAW bass
MICKEY ROKER drums
HORACE SILVER piano
MICHAEL BRECKER tenor saxophone
RANDY BRECKER trumpet, flugelhorn
DAVID FREDMAN vibraphone
Recorded October and November 1972 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Blue Note - 5357582