Art 50

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers hit their artistic peak with the powerful A Night in Tunisia. This incarnation of the group included Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons, and Jymie Merritt along with their leader, Blakey. As the Messengers entered their most fruitful period for Blue Note, Blakey drove his men relentlessly with powerful grooves, heavy swinging, and shouts of encouragement. This session documents the full power of his assertive leadership and the masterful playing of his sidemen, each rising to legendary status under his tutelage. Long known for their creative arrangements within the context of small-group jazz, the Messengers push the definition of hard bop and blues to the limit here…

The second of two CDs that reissue the music from three Art Blakey LPs plus additional material (reshuffling the order to make it more logical), this set features trumpeter Woody Shaw, Carter Jefferson on tenor and soprano, Cedar Walton on keyboards, bassist Mickey Bass, Tony Waters on congas and the drummer/leader plus three guests: guitarist Michael Howell, trombonist Steve Turre and (on "Moanin"' and "Along Came Betty"), singer Jon Hendricks. Shaw is in excellent form and Blakey propels and inspires his sidemen as usual. In addition to the two vocals, the nine instrumentals (which had originally been divided between the LPs Buhaina and Athenagin) are consistently swinging and well worth hearing.

A rather interesting demonstration of the possibilities of the Art of Noise in concert (though not as entertaining as the live video release of the same year), Re-Works of Art of Noise features excellent renditions of some AoN standards stirred together with J.J. Jeczalik's live Fairlight showcase on "Hammersmith to Tokyo and Back." Years after the fact, it remains intriguing listening.

Renascence is an appropriate title for this 1975 performance because in the mid-'70s, Art Pepper experienced a creative rebirth. Thanks to his self-destructive lifestyle, the alto saxophonist had wasted a lot of time; anyone who has read his disturbing autobiography, Straight Life, can tell you that Pepper, like Charlie Parker and Chet Baker, was his own worst enemy. But in 1975, he was getting his act together. The saxophone, not drugs, was his top priority, and in August 1975, he made his long overdue return to the studio with Living Legend, his first studio recording as a leader since 1960. Many of those who bought Living Legend and caught Pepper live in 1975 agreed that he was playing the hell out of his horn, although some listeners preferred the softer, cool-toned Pepper of the 1950s over the tougher, more aggressive, John Coltrane-influenced Pepper of Living Legend…