Art Blakey experts please ... ?

I particularly liked the Mangione period. Blakey was a great drummer no doubt, but there were so many greats of that era it would be hard to pick one out as “King”... personally, Morello, and Alan Dawson are two I’ve studied in depth. Just some really, really great drummers in that time...

Thank you for this thread.
Its made a jazz listener out of me.

frogman
Thank You for posting the Wayne Shorter book.As above, to the OP, Dat Dere is the Jazz standard.
Happy Listening!

A Night in Tenusia is another great Blakey lp.

ssenturk, very intriguing query. Wayne Shorter is perhaps my favorite Jazz musician, bar none. You may find this of interest:

https://books.google.com/books?id=a3gurEiKNPoC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=wayne+shorter+joelle&...

Art  Blakey is known for creating his signature signal of rapping the rim of his drum to signal to a member it's time to end their improvisation. He was known as Volcano Eruptis among his peers

Hi all! Just joined this forum to post a question, as it's clear there are a lot of Blakey/Shorter experts on here. I'm trying to find information related to the woman "Joelle" was inspired by. She was a french girl living in NYC during the 1950s, at around 1958 was serving as Blakey's nanny. She took care of his daughter, Sakeena. Does anyone know anything else about her? I think she served as a kind of muse for multiple people, including Wayne Shorter who, of course, collaborated on that song. Any tips would be much appreciated! Thanks.

Orpheus - indeed, I do treasure it for the glimpses at the early days of Clifford and Horace too! I wish I could have been introduced to a crowd by Pee Wee Marquette...

"A Night At Birdland" is Art Blakey's most famous album with "old school" fans. It includes Pee Wee Marquette's famous introduction which is remembered by all "old school" fans. Pee Wee was a little guy with a big voice, he was Birdland's emcee.

This album was made while Clifford Brown was still around. He could play Be Bop, Hard Bop, and ballads; his tone was unforgettable. Horace Silver was also in that group. This was when jazz was "definitive", there was no confusing "jazz" with any other music.

"Inna, this one may not be for you". Inna likes jazz, but not "Old school" jazz. Him and many others prefer the music after it became "amorphous"; but jazz, like everything else, has evolved. "Old school, new school, future school; when you add the word "jazz", it all sounds good to me.

I'm a big fan of "A Night at Birdland," Vols. 1 and 2...

Jazzcourier, thanks much for the rundown on the Blakey School. He would actually graduate a "student" when he felt they were ready to venture out on their own. Mentor Blakey, no one like him before or since.

On CD I have the soundtrack "Art Blakey - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1959)".
Every track is nice. Including the "No Hay Problema" track! Never have seen it on vinyl.

Sonically excellent is "Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Keystone 3 (from 1982)" on the Pure Audiophile Label on vinyl.

I do not know if these titles are very important in Blakeys' repertoire but they are very nice to listen.

I am also interested in the live recording "Meet You at the Corner of the World"- can someone comment on it ?

Jazzcourier, your user name is most appropriate.

As great as the Shorter/Morgan edition of the Jazz Messengers was there were many wonderful Blakey led bands before and after that period.In fact,the "Jazz Messenger" bands were constantly the springboard for musicians cutting their teeth under Blakey's leadership and moving on to create their own bands.This may be unique in Jazz,as no other leader has fostered so much talent and sent it forth onto the music world as Art Blakey did.
The list of Jazz Messengers reads like a who's who...Kenny Dorham,Hank Mobley,Lou Donaldson,Horace Silver,Clifford Brown,Donald Byrd comprising the earlier editions with Bill Hardman,Byrd,and Jackie McLean in the later 50's.This was also an incredibly active period for Blakey as a sideplayer...Rollins,Monk,Miles,Bud Powell...on and on.
Enter the "golden" Blakey period...Benny Golson,Lee Morgan,Wayne Shorter,Curtis Fuller,Freddie Hubbard,Cedar Walton,Bobby Timmons through the early mid 60's.
He picked up again,in earnest from the early seventies into the late 80's with bands comprising of[in chronological order] Woody Shaw,John Hicks,Dave Schnitter,Valery Ponomarev,Bobby Watson,Wynton Marsalis,Branford Marsalis,Terrence Blanchard,Donald Harrison,Wallace Roney,Kenny Garrett,Benny Green,Javon Jackson,Robin Eubanks,Brian Lynch,Steve Davis and lots of others in and out of the band.
Not only was Art Blakey a master percussionist he was a keen talent scout for the best young players.That is what kept him young,he ran with the youngbloods,over and over again,decade after decade.It is a truly impressive legacy of bands,great players and a testimonial to the desire to create absorbing Jazz spontaneously night after night.

Awesome thread.. I am not a Blakey fan even though I grew up playing the drums and have a couple of his recordings. At some point I will re-visit Blakey and try some other works. My system is likely holding me back performance-wise from enjoying his recordings I have more than I do. Still trying to raise the level of its performance.

Thank you for all the friendly answers - I will listen to all your recommendations.

Isochronism, yes sometimes I have luck to find cheap originals but it is seldom.
I am collecting records -sometimes more sometimes less- since 1972 when I was ten yrs. old, ... an ever lasting love of my life. Temporarily its a nearly uncontrollable addiction for me.

But because I live in Germany its not easy to find cheap original US or UK pressings - which are often (not always) preferred against german-pressings.
I buy also many records from US-ebay (and also from dealers), but this is not always a cheap source and we also have to pay the oversea shipping and taxes. ebay-records are sometimes not in very good shape, even if you use a RCM. I do not worry about a few ticks on used records but cant listen to very noisy ones.
I visited beautiful U.S. six times in the 90's (five times in NYC and once in Miami) and also bought records (and Infinity betas) there - but I think NYC is not a good place to find cheap records.

But not only being a music and record-lover I am also a HiFi-enthusiast for a long while. And so sometimes I have great fun with good reissues if the music is really touching me.
Some of my audiophile friends slightly disagree but on my system most of the 45's are sounding fantastic. (But I would always prefer a 33rpm record if it would have the same sonic quality as the 45's.)

If you like Art with Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter I'd also suggest "Paris Jam Session" and "Like Someone in Love", the latter has Bobby Timmons on piano. Great stuff!

45's are the ultimate. Nothing can capture "nuance" like a 45; for those who can afford them, that's the way to go. LP's are close, but this ain't horseshoes.

Al2, I found my original LP of S&S for 50 cents used many years ago. I hope you are also searching out original LP's on the cheap. There are many great deals/finds out there. Audiophile 45 Reissue$ are not always necessary. Either way, enjoy:)

I claim to be an Art Blakey expert. Since I have many LP's and CD's, I won't list them all; I would rather give others the pleasure.

Not only is Blakey "King of the drums", he is also the king of "Hard bop". There are more famous musicians who played with his "Jazz Messengers" than any other group, including the Miles Davis groups.

"Moanin" is a classic among classics. "Along Came Betty", ranks with the title tune for me. There could be more than one reason for that. I was a teenager who worshipped from afar, a very beautiful old lady of 23 named "Betty". Every time I put a quarter in the jukebox and punched that tune, a vision of "Betty" floated before me.

I have never gone wrong selecting any Blakey album, and I can think of no other artist I can say that about. I'm sure people new to Blakey will enjoy him as much as I have.

Free For All (1964)
A little harder hitting than some of the earlier recordings mentioned here. Blakey's on fire and he pushes Freddie and Wayne to the edge of hard bop and beyond while keeping it deep in the groove.
Highly recommended.

moanin' is a must...easily his best

I listened to Oscar Brown Jr. - Sin & Soul.
Excellent!
It was reissued on the speakers corners label 180 gr LP one week ago on 31. Aug 2011, I will order it.

Ohh - bought so many records last year, I already have Big Beat on "Music Matters 45rpm" but it is still sealed ...

Thank you Jazzcourier, Isochronism and Taylor514.

I will listen to Oscar Brown & Rickie Lee Jones Dat Dere.

What else could you recommend from the early Art Blakeys' titles ?

I have these:

-Caravan (33)
-Night In Tunisia (45rpm)

I am waiting for these:

-Like Someone In Love (45rpm)
-Indestructible (45rpm)

Rickie Lee Jones also does an interesting version on her "Pop Pop" LP.

Oscar Brown wrote lyrics for Dat Dere. A heartworming discussion between a father and young son. Featured in his album "Sin and Soul". I highly recommend!!

The tune is "Dat Dere" composed by Bobby Timmons and recorded by Blakey's Jazz Messengers on the album/cd "The big beat" for the Blue Note label.It is a studio recording.