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"... one of Silver’s finest and most varied albums, mixing folk elements, subtle ballads, and soul-jazz." - The Guardian "He is pushing the hard bop envelope, a rich rhythmic canvas with pace and drive, occasionally breaking through to the fore with melodic incursions ..." - London Jazz Collector "... one of the finest (albums) he created and included classic tunes Sister Sadie and Peace, both of which became jazz standards. All but one of the eight tunes were Horace's compostions, and they all make an impact." - MusicWeb International Blowin' The Blues Away, released in 1959, stands as hard bop pioneer Horace Silver's second most acclaimed album after his landmark Song For My Father. A classic of the genre for tightly constructed, joyfully infectious hard bop, this album marks the peak of Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes; it's also one of Silver's strongest sets of original compositions. The pacing of the album is impeccable, offering up enough different feels and slight variations on Silver's signature style to captivate the listener throughout. Two songs, the warm, luminous ballad Peace and the gospel-based call-and-response swinger Sister Sadie, became oft-covered standards of Silver's repertoire.