Blakey might be the most instantaneously recognizable drummer. When you hear him on a record or the radio, you know it is him. The sound, and the way hits the drums...one of a kind. And great.
The '50s Messengers (before Horace left to form his own quintet) with Byrd and Mobley are my favorite group. But 2nd place has to go to these 1970 over-achievers--when Art was on the ropes, unable to find an American record company that would bother with his uncompromising, full-bore acoustic jazz. The compositions are still cutting edge, innovative, unlike anything before and since--all composed by Walter Davis, Jr. --And the "obscure" musicians are among the best in a Blakey group. Bill Hardman was a wily pro who loved cutting contests (he always won). He toured with Art in 3 different decades (but not during Art's recordings for Blue Note, which limited his exposure even to the limited jazz audience. One night I heard him outplay and outlast Freddie H. at an alumni event in Carnegie Hall in the '70s. Schnitter was the sleeper. Like a street citizen, dressed with no attention to style, not a tall or massive person (like his main influence Dexter), but he played up a stormed that had us in the uppermost balcony on our feet cheering him on. He's since refined his style, but it's scandalous that not one of his 4 killer albums has been reissued as a CD! Students fortunate to have him as a teacher had best pay heed. This guy is a survivor!
Great anecdote!!! This obscure iteration(of the Messengers) is one I'm not familiar with ,but I can tell they can flat out play. Going to have to sit with this performance for a while.
Art Blakey had so many (Musicians) playing in his band over the years. This group except Hartman are new to me but they have Art's trademark Messenger sound .
There's a momentary camers pan and scan of Art's young son checking Dad's drumming out. He appears to be the one on the cover of the 'Gypsy Folk Tales ' album. Very touching and poignant to see that.
Blakey's 1970s Messengers have been overlooked (Understandably,with all the legendary Morgan,Timmons,Shorter combos in the 50s and 60's, and much later,Marsalis,Blanchard,Harrison, etc)But these groups kicked major ass! Also worth mentioning is the mid 50s groups with McLean and Griffin(of which Bill Hardman was also a member)
I was 16. I heard Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers play in Barcelona, Spain in the fall of 1973 at an historic venue called Palau de La Music. I have been a jazz addict ever since!
We were three college guys from the US and met Bill Hardman at a sidewalk cafe in Nice the afternoon of the day he was playing at the Nice Jazz festival in 1976. He was friendly, happy, and so cool. He joked the cheap six francs steak and fries was a horse. I came to believe him. We hopped over the walls of the Roman amphitheater and got into the show that night. July 1976 and watched his show and Sara Vaughn's set. Great night Thanks, Bill...I will never forget you or your esteemed talent....hope to meet you again down the line...
Thanks to Bu, ALL iterations of the Messengers were wonderful. Bu was the Ph.D of one of America's most important universities. Betty Carter was another. Together, they mentored and gave work to hundreds of important artists. Jazz would be much poorer without them. Joe Segal loved Bu, and booked his band at his Jazz Showcase every chance he got, so I got to hear him and his bands a lot. The first recording I sold to NPR for Jazz Alive was of Blakey's band in 76-77 at the Showcase. Valeri Ponomarev, Bobby Watson, David Schnitter, and Albert Dailey were on that band.
I saw the Jazz Messingers in 1976 or77 in San Francisco at Keystone Corner, they had Schnitter on Tenor and Valorie panomarov on trumpet, unbelievable !
Art’s mid-late 70s Messengers highly underrated but incredibly talented, no slouches. Love In Walked Sonny w/Sonny Stitt, Backgammon, Gypsy Folk Tales, In This Korner, In My Prime, and Reflections in Blue, some of the best from the Jazz Messengers library.
Art was a force of nature. No one comes close. And look at the proper drum technique of his hands and fingers. None of the endless, numbing, hammering on the off-beats like the Phil Collins video I just endured. Jazz is synchronized with the human pulse, not pounded into your skull at concussing levels. This is one of Art's unheralded, most exciting groups, playing some of the most challenging music of the group's tenure--thanks to the imaginative, futuristic, even visionary compositions of Walter Davis Jr. and the polytechnics of wiley veteran Bill Hardman and the young but sensational David Schnitter. I saw Art let Hardman take two unaccompanied choruses--trumpet alone--and he was in the time and the chords all the way. And his tone kept getting bigger, closer to Clifford.
I think Dave is still with us--thankfully. The smoke and fire aren't there anymore--how could it be with anyone but Blakey? And it's a treat to seem him at Small's in the Village, even though he seems a bit lost for a direction or focus in what is a more introspective, laid-back period.. Mickey Tucker may be the best pianist you've never heard of.
Blakey an artist just like a Picasso but with sticks. Back then every musician had is own identity which they owned! Buddy to Elvin and Gadd all unique drummers. Well the masters!!!
I was 16 and alot of retired pros were in Charlotte where I grew up. This so captures the real sound of real high level advanced players of that time yes harmonic motion but often unconventional not up4 down5 necessarily but inside and swinging. A bit hard edged and all business. Art is so up under and buoyant to that piano solo... man. The tennor solo on Golson's harmonically challanging "Along Came Betty" is elegant swinging lyrical what more do you want,?
J'ai entendu la première fois '' No problem '' sur Fip Nantes, début des années 80. J'ai eu la vision d'une voiture qui demarrai à fond la caisse.. Une pure merveille. Art blakey est, sûrement, un des meilleurs batteur de l'histoire. Toutes musiques confondues. 🎶🍹😎
Je me souviens d'un concert du groupe des Jazz Messengers avec Art Blakey, pour un billet de 5 francs à l'époque, dans la salle du Centre Pablo Neruda à Nîmes dans ces années là, 76. Il devait y avoir 200 personnes environs dans la salle, tous debout, on était tous enthousiastes. L'ambiance était surchauffée. J'avais dans les 24 ans. Pour nous, à Nîmes, c'était normal de voir de tels musiciens dont les vinyles faisaient notre culture musicale de base. Faut dire qu'à l'époque tous ces grands jazzmans écumaient l'Europe tellement ils y trouvaient bon accueil et très bon public, contrairement à leur pays d'origine. Dans les années 70 nous avions un Festival de Jazz magnifique, presque tous les grands y sont passés. Quelle époque où le jazz était vraiment populaire, et où toute sortes de classes sociales confondues accédaient à ces concerts qu'on ne reverra plus désormais qu'en ce qu'il en reste en vidéos. Maintenant seule une certaine élite culturelle écoute du jazz, comme le classique. Changement de temps...
Oui, moi aussi, je me souviens de tous ces merveilleux musiciens qui venaient volontiers en Belgique, a Bruxelles, mais aussi dans des patelins plus obscurs, comme a Heist-op-den-Berg, dans le club tenu par l’inenarrable Juul Anthonissen ! Quelle epoque ! Cela swinguait a fond !
What’s happened folks? How come we don’t play this utter magnificent Jazz anymore? Art was a incredible dedicated Jazz musician and mentor. I am always amazed how he re-invented his line-ups with great talents. This session is incredible. So how come folks that Jazz has somehow lost its drive, inspiration and above all its message? Awaiting on some of your replies. Dig this - Gut Bucket Shit”, we play as Art used to say. Dig this feast & Cheers!
Love this registration ! The Italian guys did a fine job --- On the same 1976 tour A.B. played at Arnhem (Eastern Netherlands, where i used to live those days). The concert was in a sort of party tent. Had no money for entrance fee, but you bet ! I heard every note. Greetings.
@@gabchaim8232 Saw this exact line-up at Nick’s Jazz Joint in 76. But the first ever time was in 1959 at the Concert Gebouw in Amsterdam. And again at Nick’s in 80/81with an very young Wynton Marsalis. As i said this kind of intense, innovative hard-bop Jazz isn’t played anymore, which is a darn shame. Cheers!
Analogously, personnel at the Chillde Harold were as follows: replaced by John Hicks on piano, and Dennis Irwin at the bass. Also caught my man Dave Schnitter with local DC cats at Twin's U Street about 8-10 years ago ; great kindred spirit to hang with for a few minutes between sets.
Learned there’s some newly released (2020) Art+Messengers that’s supposed to be good. Old live recordings that sound amazing but never were released. Will have to find it.
When I was about six(69 now)my uncle,while we were listening to blakey,pointed out the unique technique blakey was doing in this piece.If you observe the sockcymbals,you'll see a consistent tempo.All the while he's playing all types of beats and syncopated rythyms on different parts of the drums and cymbals and never losing timing on the sockcymbals.that was his genius.It took other top drummers a very long long time to do this technique and most still can't do it.blakey started on the piano.
Perhaps I didn't explain my comment correctly and was misunderstood.The technique I'm speaking of, blakey was the first and only one doing it.When others heard it,they all tried it.max roach attempted it and could hold tempo part way through the solo.But blakey for the longest was the only one who could do it.when the video first played (which was partial),that's when you hear the technique I'm referring to.Watch the sockcymbals as he's playing the solo.
J'aurais bien aimé avoir la liste des morceaux joués, et où c'est produit ce concert. Merci en tout cas pour cette vidéo qui me replonge 45 ans en arrière où j'ai assisté à la même période à un concert semblable de Art Blakey's and the Jazz Messengers à Nîmes !
I would have liked to have the list of the pieces played, and where this concert took place. Thanks anyway for this video which takes me back 45 years where I attended at the same period a similar concert of Art Blakey's and the Jazz Messengers in Nîmes (France) !
@@jameshalljazz yes it is ..Perugia this footage comes from italian tv...when i was a boy there was a lot of good stuff on televison....not only mainstream jazz but also Ornette CT art ensemble ecc. and ..Stockhausen Berio Ligeti...now the pubblic tv it's lije the commercial tv....half naked women and men pop idiot music fake news ecc...il the 60 and 70iesthe best minds of the country worked for tv ..now ...no(D.Schnitter is in fire here by the way...greetings from Tuscany
See now they all got their own sound, fast forward to a lil less than a decade and the age of the university comes in and everyone sounding like Michael brecker, bergonzi and them all sound the same. Don’t get me wrong they are insane players, but I don’t figure out anything about them based on their playing, tragic
Never heard any sax player sound like a hint of Michael Brecker. But I got your point though, agree there's been lacking some historical approach on sound, phrasing, vocabulary, etc.
You have to not compare because of the difference in instruments.Charlie Parker had a mastery that was clearly phenomenal.He set the standard for exceeding your craft at any level.Byrd still amazes any who examines his mastery over instrumentation and musicology. Byrd was not only in his own class,he was the class.this is my attempt as a musician who play the same instrument to answer your question.
