Greatest Blakey Trumpet Album

[CJ Shearn]

John, I mentioned Wynton's playing.

[johnagrandy]

Art was, let's say, rather loose that day.

Now if you want to hear a really "loose" Blakey, check out "Nihon Bashi" on Kyoto. WHOA!

And hey, no discussion of great Blakey performances, trumpet-centric or not, is complete w/o a serious consideration of the 5/13/61 Olympia gig released on RTE/Trema/etc. That's "HOLY SHIT!" material if ever there was any.

Do you know how good is the soundwork on the 2CD set of the 61 Olympia concert on the Lighthouse label?

[johnagrandy]

John, I mentioned Wynton's playing.

Oh, yeah, that's true ! I used to have all those LPs. Wynton did his best work with Art , in my opinion.

There's this one ballad he does : "Bitter Dose" (I forget which session) on which he plays with real maturity.

[JSngry]

Do you know how good is the soundwork on the 2CD set of the 61 Olympia concert on the Lighthouse label?

No, I've got two CDs on RTE & a 3rd on Trema.

Never heard of the Lighthouse label. Do you mean Laserlight?

Also, I thnk that maybe Malaco has a release of them. Not sure about that.

However you can find them, get them!

[johnagrandy]

Do you know how good is the soundwork on the 2CD set of the 61 Olympia concert on the Lighthouse label?

No, I've got two CDs on RTE & a 3rd on Trema.

Never heard of the Lighthouse label. Do you mean Laserlight?

Also, I thnk that maybe Malaco has a release of them. Not sure about that.

However you can find them, get them!

It's confusing ... really confusing. Were multiple Olympia concerts in '61 made into albums ?

Was Thelonious on the session ? Here's an RTE issue with Hardman Griffin Monk DeBrest Blakey :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000006LY...v=glance&n=5174

There's lots more I've dug up, but I won't write it ... process of elimination seems faster.

[JSngry]

That Amazon thing is f-ed up. The track listing is for the Blakey Olympic gig, but all the reviews are for the Monk/Blakey Atlantic side.

[johnagrandy]

Man, these Mosaic BN Morgan CD box sets are going $250+ on eBay. And a Vee-Jay Morgan/Shorter box went $355.

[brownie]

The only flaw with the remarkable Olympia May 1961 Messengers albums is the sound which lacks the dynamics that is so obvious in the performanced played by Blakey and his men.

I have the original double CD on the Europe 1 Trema label and the audio is damn flat. One of the lesser sound from the whole Europe 1 series.

Sound on the Part 3 release - issued several years after parts 1/2 - is slightly improved but still misses the brillance of the sound generated by the Messengers!

Too bad it could not be improved...

[mrjazzman]

A Night At Birdland with Clifford Brown.................

[AllenLowe]

well, Clifford's good but he's no Dexter Gordon - didn't use enough drugs -

[Chad.mundt]

Brown on A Night at Birdland. I especially like Quicksilver. Donaldson is awesome too. Makes me go

But, then again, I haven't heard everything.

[johnagrandy]

Brown on A Night at Birdland. I especially like Quicksilver. Donaldson is awesome too. Makes me go

But, then again, I haven't heard everything.

Who has? I'm still trying 28 years after my first Blakey experience.

But I'd like to pass on the hippest advice I've ever received regarding Bu (thanks to Jim Sangrey (not sure I spelled that right) ) :

Do whatever it takes to get ahold of the live 5/13/1961 Europe 1 Olympia session. I finally got ahold of the RTE double CD set (still searching for the 3rd CD) ... and it is simply mind-blowing. No need for any other superlatives.

Lee Wayne Bobby Jymie Art.

[Soul Stream]

Lee Morgan on the "Moanin'" LP is still the beginning and end for me.

[Free For All]

Lee Morgan on the "Moanin'" LP is still the beginning and end for me.

Yes, and also The Big Beat.

[johnagrandy]

I'd actually take Indestructible over Moanin' , but that's way way tough ...

In the less mentioned category :

"Nihon Bashi" from Kyoto ... whoooahhh ! On another planet.

For some reason it reminds me a lot of Lee's "The Gigolo" (probably my favorite music outside of Woody) ... don't know why, Fredie not Lee ... "Nihon Bashi" is pure energy ... "The Gigolo" is more spiritual, transcendental ...

Kind of strange ... never figured out why.

Edited March 20, 2006 by johnagrandy

[BruceH]

A Night At Birdland with Clifford Brown.................

That gets my vote, too.

[Guest]

I think Lee is the better brass player, I think KD is the superior musical thinker.

I couldn't agree with this statement more. I love Kenny Dorham as a musician, composer, arranger, bandleader. Love his albums. Some of the notes he recorded would not make a modern editing session, but I love him. Lee Morgan much more precise and acrobatic. Freddie can't be beat....except by the greatest trumpet player of all times (I won't even qualify it with "in my opinion") Clifford Brown. That being said, A Night at Birdland is not my favorite Jazz Messengers record.

I can't really defend this selection, but I'm going with Mosaic for the trumpet friendly compositions of Arabia and Crisis. I think of Arabia as kind of a trumpet anthem, even though it was written by Curtis Fuller.

[Chad.mundt]

...except by the greatest trumpet player of all times (I won't even qualify it with "in my opinion") Clifford Brown.

I love Clifford. Love him...but...I think Dizzy deserves that title (Louis is in there). He made this stuff, man. I'd definitely put Brownie in the top five, though:

1) Dizzy

1) Satchmo (tie)

3) C. Brown

4) F. Hubbard

5) B. Shew (I'm gonna catch hell for this)

[brownie]

A Night At Birdland with Clifford Brown.................

That gets my vote, too.

But this thread is about Blakey Messengers trumpet players

Clifford Brown did not play with the Messengers, he played with the Art Blakey Quintet

[johnagrandy]

5) B. Shew (I'm gonna catch hell for this)

Bobby Shew is a very interesting guy. I used to keep close track of him when I was way into Toshiko's big band and caught every live performance I could. There were a number of pieces she composed that showcased him. Unfortunately I've forgotten the albums and the tunes' names and I lost all my boxes of vinyl in a move.

Not only was Shew a quite lyrical improviser who well knew the art of gradually building a story, but he also often played lead (and Toshiko wrote some of the toughest lead parts ever). I'd guess Shew is perhaps one of twenty or so of the greatest leads of the 20th century.

Last year, I happened upon a large collection of web videos of that huge bash they threw for Maynard in L.A. Although I lost interest in Maynard's music over 15 years ago, it was nostalgic to listen to all the tributes: all the old bravura, showmanship, towering egos, and ferocious playing was present in spades ... actually in a royal spade flush !

Many of the greatest living high note artists composed the horn sections of the various bands assembled... including, much to my surprise, ... Bobby Shew.

[Guest]

...except by the greatest trumpet player of all times (I won't even qualify it with "in my opinion") Clifford Brown.

I love Clifford. Love him...but...I think Dizzy deserves that title (Louis is in there). He made this stuff, man. I'd definitely put Brownie in the top five, though:

1) Dizzy

1) Satchmo (tie)

3) C. Brown

4) F. Hubbard

5) B. Shew (I'm gonna catch hell for this)

Well, your ranking is your ranking, I'm not going to crack on you for it. I can't get on board with Armstrong being a better trumpet player than Brownie, though. Pioneer, sure. Great innovator? Piece of jazz history, you betcha, but pound for pound, I don't think anyone played trumpet in jazz better than Brownie.

I stand corrected on his involvement with the JMs, though. But, I stand by (for now) Mosiac as my pick for greatest JM Trumpet album.

[BruceH]

A Night At Birdland with Clifford Brown.................

That gets my vote, too.

But this thread is about Blakey Messengers trumpet players

Clifford Brown did not play with the Messengers, he played with the Art Blakey Quintet

Whoops. My bad.

[johnagrandy]

A Night At Birdland with Clifford Brown.................

That gets my vote, too.

But this thread is about Blakey Messengers trumpet players

Clifford Brown did not play with the Messengers, he played with the Art Blakey Quintet

Whoops. My bad.

Any random cat who accidentally stumbled onto Bu's stage and blew at least one note , or even just drained the spit valve , qualifies.

[DatDere]

I'd definitely would not call him my favorite Messenger trumpet player, but I also really like Donald Byrd's playing on the "Jazz Messengers" Columbia cd, especially his trumpet break on 'Nica's Dream'. Just wanted to mention him.

[Guest]

I'd definitely would not call him my favorite Messenger trumpet player, but I also really like Donald Byrd's playing on the "Jazz Messengers" Columbia cd, especially his trumpet break on 'Nica's Dream'. Just wanted to mention him.

Oh man, that's a great record.