Art+blakey

When Art Blakey founded the Jazz Messengers, his initial goal was to not only make his mark on the hard bop scene, but to always bring younger players into the fold, nurture them, and send them out as leaders in their own right. Pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and saxophonist Lou Donaldson were somewhat established, but skyrocketed into stardom after this band switched personnel. Perhaps the most acclaimed combo of Blakey's next to the latter-period bands with Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter, the pre-Messengers quintet heard on this first volume of live club dates at Birdland in New York City provides solid evidence to the assertion that this ensemble was a one of a kind group the likes of which was not heard until the mid-'60s Miles Davis Quintet…

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers had a second coming in the early- and mid-'80s with lineups that featured either Wynton and Branford Marsalis or Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison...

Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers (ft. Lee Morgan) - Soul Finger (1965) {2009 Verve Originals}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 262 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 84 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 30 Mb
© 2009 Universal / Verve / Limelight | 602517966390 / LM 82018
Jazz / Hard Bop / Classical Jazz

Along with Gene Krupa and Max Roach, one of the most popular and influential jazz drummers ever is the late Art Blakey. Blakey wasn't only a powerful drummer and hard-bop standard-bearer–his many editions of the Jazz Messengers were a finishing school for a few generations of players (including Freddie Hubbard and Chuck Mangione). Originally issued in 1965, SOUL FINGER finds the Messengers in transition. Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard make farewell appearances here, and the fine, underrated saxophonist Lucky Thompson gets a guest shot. Then up-and-comer Gary Bartz is on alto; the super-fine inside-outside pianist is John Hicks. While not exactly a mellow affair, SOUL FINGER is a bit more relaxed, less furious, than usual.

Volume deux of the 1955 Cafe Bohemia sessions from Art Blakey's second edition Jazz Messengers is better than the first. The music is more energetic, cohesive, and pushes the hard bop farther. Where the first volume featured compositions of newly recruited trumpeter Kenny Dorham, it is tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley asserting himself on the bandstand with his set pieces that formed the foundation of the first studio edition of the quintet that included Donald Byrd. Here, Mobley does not defer to Dorham, pushing his sound forward without compromising his vision. "Sportin' Crowd" is definitely an ear opener, a straight-ahead, hard bop gem based on the changes of the Sonny Rollins' classic "Tenor Madness"…

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Kyoto (1964) {Riverside OJCCD-145-2 rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 203 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 78 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964, 1990 Riverside Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-145-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Drums

Reissued on Fantasy's OJC series, this album finds Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers paying tribute to Japan (where they had toured to great acclaim) on two selections, featuring Art Blakey's cousin as a vocalist on "Wellington's Blues" (a real rarity in The Jazz Messengers' discography) and debuting Curtis Fuller's "The High Priest." With trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, tenorman Wayne Shorter and trombonist Fuller in fine form, this is one of literally dozens of recommended Jazz Messengers recordings.