The Jazz Messengers | ||||
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Studio album by The Jazz Messengers | ||||
Released | November 1956 [1] | |||
Recorded | April 6 & May 4, 1956 Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City | |||
Genre | Jazz, hard bop | |||
Length | 77:14 | |||
Label | Columbia CL 897; CK 65265 (1997) | |||
Producer | George Avakian Michael Cuscuna (1997) | |||
The Jazz Messengers chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Tom Hull | A− [4] |
The Jazz Messengers is the first studio album by the Jazz Messengers, released in 1956 by Columbia Records. It was their fourth overall album (after the two At the Cafe Bohemia live albums and the 1956 compilation), and also their last recording to feature the group's co-founder, Horace Silver, on piano.
In 1968, Columbia reissued the LP in their Jazz Odyssey Series with a new cover under the title Art Blakey with the Original Jazz Messengers. In 1997 the album was digitally remastered and released on CD, again with its original title and cover, featuring all the tracks from the original LP along with five additional tracks from the same recording sessions that were previously released only on foreign imports.
This is the track listing for the current Columbia CD release. Tracks 1−7 are from the original LP and in the same order (Columbia CL 897, 1956). The adjacent tracks 8−10 and 12 were first released on Originally (Columbia FC 38036, 1982). Track 11 was previously unreleased.
Henry "Hank" Mobley was an American tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Lester Young, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players such as Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The critic Stacia Proefrock claimed him "one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era." Mobley's compositions include "Double Exposure", "Soul Station", and "Dig Dis".
William Franklin Hardman Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop. He was married to Roseline and they had a daughter Nadege.
Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Soul Station is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on February 7, 1960 and released on Blue Note later that year. Mobley's quartet features rhythm section Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey.
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk is a studio album released in 1958 by Atlantic Records. It is a collaboration between the Jazz Messengers, the group led by drummer Art Blakey, and Thelonious Monk on piano.
A Night at Birdland, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by the Art Blakey Quintet, recorded at the Birdland jazz club on February 21, 1954 and released on Blue Note in 1956. The performance was originally spread out over three 10" LPs as A Night at Birdland Vols. 1–3 (1954).
At the Cafe Bohemia, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by the Jazz Messengers recorded at the Café Bohemia jazz club in Greenwich Village on November 23, 1955 and released on Blue Note in April 1956.
Originally is an album by drummer Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers recorded in 1956, but not released on the Columbia label until 1982. The album features unreleased tracks from the sessions that produced The Jazz Messengers and Hard Bop which have since been released as bonus tracks on those albums and Drum Suite.
Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers is an album by Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers compiling two 1955 10" LPs—Horace Silver Quintet, Vol. 3 and Horace Silver Quintet, Vol. 4 —recorded on November 13, 1954 and February 6, 1955 respectively and released on Blue Note in October 1956—Silver’s debut 12". The quintet features horn section Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham and rhythm section Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley Quintet, also known as Hank Mobley with Farmer, Silver, Watkins, Blakey, is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on March 8, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quintet features trumpeter Art Farmer and rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley Quartet is the debut ten-inch LP by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, recorded on March 27, 1955 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quartet features rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley and His All Stars is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, recorded on January 13, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quintet features vibraphonist Milt Jackson and Jazz Messengers rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Silver's Blue is a studio album by American jazz pianist Horace Silver recorded for the Epic label in 1956 featuring performances by Silver with Joe Gordon, Hank Mobley, Doug Watkins, and Kenny Clarke and another session with Donald Byrd and Art Taylor replacing Gordon and Clarke. Silver, Mobley, Watkins, and Byrd all had recently left The Jazz Messengers. These were Silver's first sessions as a leader after leaving the Messengers.
Afro-Cuban is an album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded for Blue Note on March 29, 1955 and released later that year on the Blue Note Modern Jazz Series, shortly before the label discontinued the format. It was soon reissued on the new 1500 series, recompiled with a session by an early incarnation of the ensemble, with new cover art.
At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, recorded at the Birdland jazz club in New York City on April 15, 1959 and released on Blue Note later that year in September and October respectively. The quintet features horn section Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Jymie Merritt and Art Blakey.
Byrd's Eye View is an album by trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded in 1955 and originally released on Tom Wilson's Transition label. The album was later re-released as part of the compilation CD set The Transition Sessions on the Blue Note label.
The Cool Voice of Rita Reys is the debut album by Dutch jazz singer Rita Reys which features sessions recorded with bands led by drummers Art Blakey and her husband Wessel Ilcken. The sessions are divided over each side of the original LP which was released on the Dutch Philips and US Columbia labels.
The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the outset. "Art Blakey" and "Jazz Messengers" became synonymous over the years, though Blakey did lead non-Messenger recording sessions and played as a sideman for other groups throughout his career.
"Yes sir, I'm gonna to stay with the youngsters. When these get too old, I'm gonna get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active."
The Jazz Messengers were a jazz band that existed with varying personnel for 35 years. Their discography consists of 47 studio albums, 21 live albums, 2 soundtracks, 6 compilations, and one boxed set.
Horace Silver Trio & Art Blakey–Sabu is an album by the Horace Silver Trio featuring drummer Art Blakey and conga player Sabu, recorded on October 9 & 20, 1952 and November 23, 1953 respectively and released on Blue Note in 1956.