Note: the CD I listened to was the 2004 Rudy Van Gelder Edition.
In which Blakey plays with his typical abandon and everybody in this all-star cast rises to meet his energy. This particular edition of the Jazz Messengers had been together since 1961 and the familiarity among musicians is obvious.
Original album liner notes by Nat Hentoff.
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Wayne Shorter - tenor sax
Cedar Walton - piano
Reggie Workman - bass
Art Blakey - drums
Reviews/ratings:
- Stereo Review: "captures one of the best bands Art Blakey has ever had.
- Billboard: "The Messengers wail through four originals with an abandon typical of Blakey's drive-drumming and leadership." [ed. note: three originals and a cover]
- Downbeat (★★★★★): "one of the best ever by a Blakey group"
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★★
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks:
- Free For All, written by Shorter
This thing swings hard. When it ends after 11 minutes, I'm exhausted just listening. Living up to the title, the composer takes an extended, frantic solo before Fuller and Hubbard get their turn. Blakey closes it out. - Hammer Head, written by Shorter
Things slow down slightly for this slightly more restrained post-bop tune. Again, Shorter takes the lead, followed by solos from Hubbard, Fuller, and Walton - The Core, written by Hubbard
Dedicated to the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), this fast-paced track progresses through a number of grooves, all dictated by Blakey's playing. Solos: Shorter, Hubbard, Fuller, and Walton. - Pensativa, written by Clare Fischer
This beautiful bossa nova would eventually become a standard and I'm certain this wonderfully performed version helped get it there. My favorite cut on the album.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
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