Art Blakey and Lee Morgan during Blakey’s The Big Beat session, Englewood Cliffs NJ, March 6 1960 (photo by Francis Wolff)

Grant Green - Nancy (With the Laughing Face) (1962)

If I post nothing but Grant Green/Sonny Clark quartet cuts for the next few weeks, don’t hold it against me.

This particular cut went unreleased until this double disc collection came out in the late 90s. It is a testament to the short-lived yet enduring brilliance of their guitar/piano synergy. As always, Art Blakey—alongside bassist Sam Jones—underpins the proceedings with his infectious swinging energy.

i12bent:

Art Blakey as an enthusiastic side-man:

Grant Green - It Ain’t Necessarily So (1962) from Nigeria

Personnel: Grant Green (g); Sonny Clark (p);  Sam Jones (b); Art Blakey (d)

Grant Green - the forgotten genius of jazz guitar…

This one goes down in the pantheon of all-time great performances. Turn it up.

Thanks Bent.

(Source: bainer)

Kenny Burrell - Lover Man (1959)

Kenny Burrell crafts one of the all-time killer guitar solos on this rendition of Billie Holiday’s signature song. Art Blakey, Ben Tucker, and especially Bobby Timmons are outstanding in support.

Bobby Timmons’ out-of-tune piano adds a dissonant, undeniable charm to the performance. This happened to Timmons on another outstanding live recording from 1959 with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.

Note: Tina Brooks is all over the rest of this record; on this cut he only appears in the final five seconds.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Joelle (1961)

From Nat Hentoff’s liner notes:

“Ever since he beame a leader, Art Blakey and his various colleagues during any given period have indeed been messengers. The message is swift and clear — know your horn, use it convey the immediacy of your experience, and listen to what’s going on around you. You can always tell an Art Blakey combo in the first few bars. There’s no waste of time or motion, no pretentious preludes. These are men taking care of business with forceful economy, deep roots in the essentials of the jazz language, and that particular flair — a jaunty élan — that is the hallmark of an Art Blakey unit. 

As it happens, this particular group was one of Blakey’s best — a fusion of independent stylists who nurtured each other’s ardor with a seriousness and a joyfulness of musical purpose that gives this music its impregnable identity. It is an album that will have something to say to you as long as you’re around to listen.”

[l to r] Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and Curtis Fuller during Art Blakey’s Indestructible session, Englewood Cliffs NJ, April 24 1964 (photo by Francis Wolff)

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Live in Sanremo Italy — March 3, 1963

Rare Italian television footage of a prime-time Messengers lineup:

Wayne Shorter - sax; Freddie Hubbard - trumpet; Curtis Fuller - trombone; Cedar Walton - piano; Reggie Workman - bass; Art Blakey - drums

(Source: youtube.com)

Ike Quebec - Nancy (With the Laughing Face) (1962)

From Michael Cuscuna’s liner notes:

The February 28, 1963 issue of Down Beat headlined its news section “Two great losses within four days: Two Jazzmen Die in New York City.” On January 13, Sonny Clark died; the official reason given was a heart attack. January 16, Ike Quebec died after five weeks in the hospital where he was being treated for cancer. Quebec was 44, Clark was 31, and the music on this album was a few days short of a year old.

Ike Quebec performs his languid magic here with the help of a very special rhythm section (Sonny Clark, Milt Hinton, Art Blakey) with predictably satisfying results.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Kozo’s Waltz (1960)

From the liner notes:

Kozo’s Waltz again finds Lee [Morgan] paying tribute to his wife’s heritage. Loosely translated, kozo is a Japanese word roughly equivalent to our “kid.” It is the name the Morgans have given to their pet poodle. The tune is an infectious, up tempo arrangement. Blakey dips in and out of the foreground and displays his magnificent skill as a soloist and rhythm pacer.

This is prime Messengers, with a special hat tip to Bobby Timmons’ fluid lines.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Crisis (1961)

From Leonard Feather’s liner notes on the Japanese debut of this Messengers sextet:

The type of audience reached by Art and his men in Japan, the sensitivity of the reaction, and the financial success of the tour, made the return home seem sadly anticlimactic. “We’ve played a lot of countries,” said Art, “but never before had the whole band been in tears when we left.”

Japan loves Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.