ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS Vinilo y CD

Review: Jazz drummer Art Blakey's formative album Mosaic was important as the first of his albums to introduce what would become the finest lineup of his Jazz Messengers band, which included Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano) and Jymie Merritt (bass). Blazing through the hard bop form like a dynamo wielding twin beaters made of the stuff magic wands are fashioned after, Blakey is heard on top form, flamming, rolling and double-tapping like it's nobody's business, and never breaking a sweat, or into a slow jam. The more measured cuts such as 'Crisis' are nonetheless as tight as ever and though Blakey is well into his career by this point, he's still at the height of it.

Review: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers were one of the most potent forces in the hard bop era - and this live album proves the point in no uncertain terms. Recorded at Parisian concert venue L'Olympia in 1958, around the same time Holiday For Skins was released, this is the sound of a band in full flight, springing through uptempo cuts and softer reveries with irrepressible joy and feeling. Blakey on drums was backed up by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jaymie Merritt on bass, winding up in an exuberant ensemble who deliver their sound with focus and urgency.

Review: First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings is sure to be a real thrill for fans of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. It is a never before rebased or heard recording of a show they played at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo on January 14, 1961. The group was one of the first to tour the country and enthralled caudices everywhere they played. At the time, the band was made up of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass and for this set they performed plenty of classics such as Charlie Parker's 'Now's the Time' and Thelonious Monk's 'Round About Midnight.'

Review: For their next trick, Blue Note unleash a newly remastered album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers that was first released in 1967, six years after it was recorded. With Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass, some say this was the band's greatest ever line up. The tunes were written by a mixture of the band members and range from the deep soul joy of 'A Little Busy' to the dancier 'Lost And Found' via the modal masterpiece that is 'Afrique.'

Review: Jazz fans are in for a real treat here as Blue Note unleash a never before heard studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. It was recorded back in 1959 at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio and has Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt all playing as part of the recording. As the title suggests, it's a breezy, super cool record with seductive trumpets and icy drums all next to neat keys that encourage you to gently bop. After months of waiting, it proves more than worth all the anticipation.