NEW RELEASES : Sanborn, Silver: Dependably Solid

Once artists have firmly established a style, they often have difficulty going beyond it into fresh turf. Horace Silver and David Sanborn are two such musicians but, as shown by the albums that kick off this set of new releases, they keep making solid recordings.

HORACE SILVER; “Pencil Packin’ Papa”; Columbia ; * * *

Silver keeps mining the same familiar musical lode and, amazingly, keeps coming up with impressive musical riches. The only surprising aspect of this new collection of originals is the inclusion of four vocal numbers, sung by O.C. Smith. And even these are typical Silver efforts--catchy melodies underpinned with easy, blues-based harmonies and irresistible, foot-tapping rhythms. (Silver’s lyrics, however, suggest that he would do well to collaborate with a more adept lyricist.)

Several of the tunes reach back to the strutting swing styles still prevalent in the 65-year-old pianist-composer’s early years. The title track, “I Need My Baby” and “Blues for Brother Blue,” for example, are riff-oriented works that are perfectly suited to the bright, brassy timbres of his 10-piece band. Guest tenor saxophonists Red Holloway, Eddie Harris, James Moody and Rickey Woodard (especially) add additional atmosphere in a series of aggressive solos burnished with edgy, dark-toned sounds.

At the heart of everything is Silver’s hard-pumping piano. Not a particularly adroit technician, Silver’s greatest strength lies in his ability to generate an invigorating flow of supportive jazz rhythms, both as composer and as pianist. Each of the soloists benefits enormously from the push provided by Silver’s accompaniment, and the bits and pieces of rhythm he inserts into the ensemble passages are the sparks that bring the entire album to life.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).