By Joel Roberts
Art Blakey made at least three vital contributions to modern jazz. As a
drummer, his ferocious, hard-driving style helped define the instrument in
the second half of the last century. As a bandleader, he helped shape the
genre known as hard bop, which became syonymous over the years with
mainstream jazz, and which remains the music's primary and most popular
language. And perhaps most importantly, as a talent scout and teacher he
gave guidance and early opportunities to a who's who of future jazz titans
including Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freedie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Donald
Byrd, Cedar Walton, Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis, to name just a
few.
All those influences are on glorious display on four newly reissued CDs on
Blue Note highlighting two early live dates featuring Blakey and his usual
stellar assortment of sidemen. The earlier date, A Night at Birdland,
Vols. 1 and 2, captures a pre-Jazz Messengers lineup billed as The Art
Blakey Quintet on a single night in 1954 at the legendary New York club.
Long recognized as a historically significant session, the Birdland
recordings show Blakey and his main cohort Horace Silver charting the
course of hard bop as it expands on the intellectual breakthroughs of bebop
by adding a crowd-pleasing mix of funk, soul and blues.
Propelled by the leader's fierce drumming, the group on Vol. 1 roars
through three Silver originals, an improvised blues, Dizzy Gillsepie's
"Night in Tunisia" (which Blakey introduces as a tune composed on "the
bottom of a garbage can in Texas"), as well as the ballad feature, "Once in
a While." Highlights on Volume 2 include two extended takes on Charlie
Parker classics, along with two standards, more from Silver and J.J.
Johnson's "Wee-Dot."
For all Blakey's heroics on the drums, and the indispensable presence of
Silver on piano, Lou Donaldson on alto sax and Curly Russell on bass, the
star of the Birdland session is indisputably Clifford Brown, the brilliant
and ill-fated young trumpeter. Brown's inventive, fluid phrasing on the
uptempo numbers, along with his poignant, melodic solos on the ballads are
nothing short of remarkable; all the more so since he was just 23 at the
time.
Recorded less than two years later, the two volumes of At the Cafe
Bohemia feature a much different group, with Blakey and Silver the only
holdovers from the Birdland session. Now officially named the Jazz
Messengers, the less flamoboyant, but perhaps more cohesive lineup now
includes the considerable talents of Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Kenny Dorham
on trumpet, and Doug Watkins on bass.
This is not quite as explosive a date as the Birdland recording, owing most
likely to the absence of Brown, but it shows the band a bit further along
the hard bop continuum, with Silver's influence much in evidence.
Highlights over the two CDs include extended takes on Fletcher Henderson's
"Soft Winds," Dizzy's "I Waited For You," and Cole Porter's "Just One of
Those Things," as well as as several wonderfully intricate, mature
compositions from the rising stars Dorham and Mobley.
As he would throughout his life, Blakey, only in his mid-30s here himself,
gives plenty of room to his younger cohorts to strut their stuff. And
Dorham and Mobley, who would both go on to similarly well-respected, but
perhaps under-appreciated careers, certainly rise to the occasion. Dorham
may lack Brown's sheer genius on the trumpet, but he displays wonderful
taste and finesse. And Mobley gives early indications of why he would
become possibly the definitive hard-bop tenor saxophonist.
Remastered for Blue Note by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder, these four CDs
sound remarkably crisp for live dates almost 50 years old. More
importantly, the music remains fresh and vital and exciting. Taken
together, they represent a historic moment in the development of modern
jazz. Essential.
Art Blakey Quintet - A Night At Birdland, Vol. 1
Personnel: Art Blakey, drums; Cliford Brown, trumpet; Lou
Donaldson, alto sax; Curly Russell, bass; Horace Silver, piano.
Track listing: Announcement By Pee Wee Marquette; Split
Kick; Once In A While; Quicksilver; A Night In Tunisia; Mayreh;
Wee-Dot (Alternate Take); Blues.
Art Blakey Quintet - A Night At Birdland, Vol. 2
Personnel: Art Blakey, drums; Cliford Brown, trumpet; Lou
Donaldson, alto sax; Curly Russell, bass; Horace Silver,
piano.
Track listing:Wee-Dot; If I Had You; Quicksilver
(Alternate Take); Now's The Time; Confirmation; The Way You Look Tonight;
Lou's Blues.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - At the CafÃÂÃÂÃÂé Bohemia, Vol. 1
Personnel: Art Blakey, drums; Kenny Dorham, trumpet; Hank Mobley,
tenor sax; Horace Silver, piano; Doug Watkins, bass.
Track listing: Announcement By Art Blakey; Soft Winds; The
Theme; Minor's Holiday; Alone Together; Prince Albert; Lady Bird; What's
New; Deciphering The Message.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - At the CafÃÂÃÂÃÂé Bohemia, Vol. 2
Personnel: Art Blakey, drums; Kenny Dorham, trumpet;
Hank Mobley, tenor sax; Horace Silver, piano; Doug Watkins, bass.
Track listing: Announcement By Art Blakey; Sportin' Crowd;
Like Someone In Love; Yesterdays; Avila & Tequila; I Waited For You; Just
One Of Those Things; Hank's Symphony; Gone With The Wind.
