It's also, blessedly, not a record of beeps, boops, tape loops and non-musical sounds. The albums aren't soul-jazz, either, although many tunes are soul-ish. There are 28 tracks and only the first, 'That Healin' Feelin,'' is instrumental bop. What It's Not It's easier to say what The United States of Mind is not, than what it is. I wanted the full treatmentmusic, liner notes, the whole deal. Knowing all that, I found the 2-CD set on Amazon and bought it. Go figure.) The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide gave That Healin' Feelin' a rare one star and urged readers 'don't bother.' Richard Havers ignored it completely in his massive 2014 bio-book of Blue Note, Uncompromising Expression. (Although, weirdly, the same website gives the compilation four stars. The United States of Mind consists of three albums: That Healin' Feelin' (1970), Total Response (1971) and All (1972). It was sappy, naïve, schlocky, anti-jazz. And so I sought out The United States of Mind with great trepidation. I love the old-man Silver of The Hard Bop Grandpop. I love the soul-jazz Silver of The Jody Grind and Serenade to a Soul Sister. I love the bluesy post-bop Silver of Song For My Father and The Cape Verdean Blues. I love the hard bop Silver of the early Jazz Messengers. I love every phase of Horace Silver's long career. Prepare for Disappointment Let's start with this premise: I love Horace Silver. Where did it end? Some say the low point came in 1970 to 1972 with three Horace Silver albums known collectively as The United States of Mind. And then, one day in the 1970spoof! It was all gone. In the 1960s, it produced the best soul-jazz on earth. In the 1950s, Blue Note was the greatest source of hard bop. At what point did Blue Note Records jump the shark? Is there a single moment when Blue Note stopped being the world's greatest purveyor of jazz and instead became an irrelevant producer of schlock? Truth is, it was a long, slow slide.

United state of mind download free