Tag Archives: Art Blakey

Listening Room – “Roots & Herbs”

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Look At The Birdie”

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Master Mind”

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Roots & Herbs”

From “Roots & Herbs” : 1961 : Blue Note BST 84347

Recorded in 1961, but not released until 1969, “Roots & Herbs” features one of the great editions of the Jazz Messengers.  This group recorded extensively for Blue Note in 1960-1961 (there is an entire Mosaic box set devoted just to this group, out-of-print of course!) and all of their output was excellent.  This shelved album is no exception, although it is unique in that it features all Wayne Shorter compositions, which gives a nice look into the young mind of an artist who would soon go on to become one of jazz’s great modern composers.

Players:
Lee Morgan – Trumpet
Wayne Shorter – Saxophone
Bobby Timmons – Piano
Walter Davis, Jr. – Piano
Jymie Merritt – Bass
Art Blakey – Drums

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers – 1958

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Fantastic footage of the 1958 version of the Jazz Messengers performing “I Remember Clifford”.  Players are Lee Morgan (tp), Benny Golson (sax), Bobby Timmons (p), Jymie Merritt (b) and Art Blakey (d).  This might be the most well known version of the group as it is the lineup that appeared on the classic “Moanin’” released this same year.

Listening Room – “Live at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Fest”

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The Giants of Jazz was a traveling group made up of Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Al McKibbon and Kai Winding.  The group toured all over the world in 1970 and 1971, before Gillespie left to honor previous obligations.  He was replaced by two trumpeters:  Roy Eldridge and Clark Terry.  That incarnation of this famous group is heard here performing live at The Monterey Jazz Festival in 1972.  The music is spirited and mixes bop classics and standards, moving perfectly back and forth from swinging numbers to perfectly paced ballads.  This is part of a series of albums that were put out by Monterey Jazz Festival Records in 2008 highlighting great performances, a few more of which I hope to preview here soon.

Art Blakey & The Giants of Jazz
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Released 2008  :  Monterey Jazz Fest Records  :  Catalog # 30882

Players:
Sonny Stitt – Tenor and Alto Sax
Roy Eldridge – Trumpet
Clark Terry – Trumpet
Thelonious Monk – Piano
Al McKibbon – Bass
Art Blakey – Drums

Blue ‘n’ Boogie from “Live at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Fest”

A Night In Tunisia from “Live at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Fest”

Listening Room – “Caravan”

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Caravan”

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Skylark”

From “Caravan” : 1962 : Riverside Records

This was Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers first of several great albums recorded for Riverside starting in 1962. The players Blakey assembled are some of the best hard bop players of that or any era. Standout tracks include their take on Ellington’s classic Caravan and the pop standard Skylark.

Players:
Art Blakey – Drums
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Curtis Fuller – Trombone
Wayne Shorter – Tenor Sax
Cedar Walton – Piano
Reggie Workman – Bass

Listening Room – “The Sermon!”

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Jimmy Smith – “The Sermon”

From “The Sermon!“: 1958 : Blue Note Records

Well, it only seems fitting to start off this blog with a post from Jimmy Smith’s 1958 Blue Note recording The Sermon. It is a stone cold classic from the era of the late night “blowing sessions” and features a who’s who from the early Hard Bop era.

Players:
Jimmy Smith – Hammond B3 Organ
Lee Morgan – Trumpet
Tina Brooks – Tenor Sax
Lou Donaldson – Alto Sax
Kenny Burrell – Guitar
Art Blakey – Drums