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BEAT STREET
Art Blakey and the Jazz
Messengers: Meet You at the
Jazz Corner of the World
Blue Note/ Virgin Records
Two-CD set, Rs. 545
By 1960, when this live recording was made at Birdland, deservedly nicknamed the Jazz Corner of the World, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers had become an institution in jazz. Almost an educational institution. The group was famous for taking highly promising young talents, letting them develop under Blakey's tutelage, and then sending them out as leaders in their own right.
Thus, on this occasion, Blakey on drums is joined by Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass, an entirely different supporting cast from five years earlier and all more or less at the start of their careers. Yet none of them shows any sign of diffidence in the company of their famous leader.
As was the established practice with the Messengers, the trumpet and sax are in lead position supported by the whole ensemble for the themes, some of which are preceded by intros on drums, piano or bass. The usual pattern has Shorter, Morgan and Timmons taking turns at solo improvisation after the themes.
Blakey is as always a commanding presence holding the music together with his rhythms when he isn't taking the occasional drum solo. He adds a drum roll or a crash of cymbals from time to time to punctuate the music, especially between two soloists, moving momentarily into the foreground but never showy. The quiet Merritt establishes his presence primarily during the piano solos, on some of which he occasionally improvises independently behind Timmons. "'Round Midnight" (Disc 1) and "High Modes" (Disc 2) are the pick of the tracks if one wants to do something as invidious as picking and choosing.
Everyone plays his part to perfection. This is a tight-knit band working in perfect unison as if driven by a single brain. The only regret can be that the two discs together offer under 85 minutes of music.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: At The Cafe Bohemia Vol. 1
Blue Note/ Virgin Records, CD, Rs. 295
This live recording made in 1955 at a famous venue marks an early stage in the career of one of the most renowned names in hard bop jazz. In fact, Blakey, drummer par excellence, and Horace Silver, pianist-composer of tremendous talent, had together started the Jazz Messengers a couple of years earlier, and Silver left not long after this recording, but not before the name was changed to put Blakey's name in front to reflect the drummer's position as sole leader.
Blakey and Silver are joined by Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone and Doug Watkins on bass, all almost exact contemporaries of Blakey and Silver and almost as famous in hard bop. The music is catchy, with a compelling, driving beat, a characteristic of the genre. Naturally then, and also because of his leadership role, Blakey's work on drums is much in evidence. He is brilliant even when he is in the background, varying the sounds he produces by using all elements of his drum kit. On the occasional drum solo or drum intro, or in exchanges with Silver, Dorham or Mobley, he is spectacular.
Most of the solos are, however, taken by Dorham, Mobley, and Silver, who get their turns on every track. All three, as well as Watkins, are top-class.
They get plenty of room to show that class. Eight tracks together make up more than 60 minutes of music, allowing for long solos to develop. This applies especially to "Soft Winds", the medium-tempo opener, and "Deciphering the Message", the fast-paced closing track, with over 12 and 10 minutes of playing time respectively. For variety, "What's New?", at an ambling pace, is entirely dominated by Watkins's bass.
JAZZEBEL
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