Seeing Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Live

[BFrank]

On 11/30/2017 at 7:57 PM, Gheorghe said:

Hello BFrank !

In the whole context of his bands, maybe it´s true that this edition was more underrated, but if I remember right, this was the band which brought Blakey back to larger audiences and tours overseas.
I remember the happy young faces hearing for the first time that music. And I think it was at Moers in Germany, and the first records for the Timeless Label were very well announced in the Jazz Podium , the magazine we were reading.

And as you mentioned Keystone Korner, that´s the point. When I was browsing thru the records to find anything I could with  Blakey , and you can imagine how scarce was the market for acoustic jazz in the late 70´s , there was two records, the 1957 RCA "Plays Lerner and Loewe", and the 1977 "In this Korner".

Needless to say I was much more impressed with the 1977 stuff, and same thing about the other kids around me. It sounded more "hip".

And as we were kids and didn´t know much more musicians, those guys were our heros:  The fantastic trumpet of  Ponomarev from USSR , the then still young and unknown but fiercy Bobby Watson, the steady and strong tenor of Dave Schnitter, the Mr. Wonderful himself James Williams on piano, and the solid Irwing on bass.

I remember the linernotes was very much about James Williams and that during those nights at the Korner  nobody less than RED GARLAND was in the house and praised the young Williams. All us little cats wanted to check out some gimmicks Williams was doing, to become better piano players......

I remember we wore that record out, all kids was listening to it, even the girls said yeah if that´s jazz, it´s not bad......

Yeah, they were something! Obviously I wish I had seen the classic 60s editions with Wayne and Lee or Freddie, but I was too young to appreciate jazz at that time.

**EDIT: can't seem to get the KK Blakey poster to post.

 

Edited December 2, 2017 by BFrank

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

On 11/29/2017 at 1:39 AM, king ubu said:

Nice reading - keep it comin'!

@chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez which Brian are you talking of the one from "Life of ..."? 

wilson

did straight ahead jazz suffer in the 80s with all these outdoor big huge festivals....ive watched a lot of vids on youtube and it really seems like its not always the best atsmosphre for creating optional solos

[JohnS]

15 hours ago, sidewinder said:

1965... when that ‘Jazz 625’ was recorded?

Yes, 1965.  The cd of he London concert is on a Moon cd.  Not at all bad.   i'd forgotten about the Jazz 625 recording.

15 hours ago, sidewinder said:

1965... when that ‘Jazz 625’ was recorded?

Yes, 1965.  The cd of he London concert is on a Moon cd.  Not at all bad.   i'd forgotten about the Jazz 625 recording.

[Mark Stryker]

On 11/29/2017 at 11:54 PM, Gheorghe said:

I saw the Messengers at least 3 times.

The first time was march 1980 at TU in Vienna. The edition was Valerie Ponomarev on tp, Bobby Watson on as, Dave Pierce on ts, James Williams on p, Charles Fambrough on bass.
I was looking forward to that concert so much, since Blakey was my favourite drummer during that time. The first recordings with him on drums I heard on that famous Night at Birdland with Bird,Fats, Bud, and fell in love with his loud and hard driving drumming. Was a bit disappointed when I first had heard a studio recording with Blakey, because in comparation to Birdland 1950 it sounded to soft and to tame to me. I was and still am crazy about really powerful drummers.

That first live concert had 3 of the musicians from the Concord LP "At this Korner" from 1977 (Ponomarev, Watson, Williams) and a Philips LP "Night in Tunisa" from 1979.

I don´t remember all the tunes they played, but of course they did Blues March and Moanin´. All kids in town was hummin "Moanin´" when I was young. Even non jazzers loved it.

 

The second time was 1983 at Wiesen Jazz Festival . I think Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Toussaint, ..... but not Mulgrew Miller on p, the piano player was a nice cat I think his name was "O´Neall" . On bass I think was Lonnie Plaxico. I remember there was even some "free" passages in the solos. And there was a ballad medley, I don´t know what ballad each of them played, but O´Neall played some "Summertime" and all the girls screamed...........,   

and the last tune was a really fast "Wee" and up on stage came .....DIZ !!!!!. He was scheduled for the next day but was allready in town and looked really like a turist, with a photoapparat around his neck, and he scatted Wee. He didn´t have his tp or was not allowed to play it due to contractual reasons, but boy ! It was an occasion to see Bu and Diz together on stage.

 

The last time was 1988 or 1989 at "Metropole" in Viena. A few months earlier he had chancelled a gig at "Fritz", because his little dog was sick I think, that was the reason .

At Metropole he had a trumpet player, a trombonist, and the then totally unknown piano player Benny Green (not to be confounded with the trombonist). But you see, it´s easy for me to remember tunes and personnel until around the mid 80´s and after that though I saw a lot, it´s much harder to remember it.

One thing I remember from the last gig. I was in the front row and near to Bu just to see and hear what he´s doin. And I was impressed how he plays different for trumpet, sax, trombone, it´s just wonderful how he makes his drums sound like brass or like wood, that´s the greatest thing i remember about Bu.

Detroiter Johnny O’Neal was the pianist. 

[Gheorghe]

Yes I remember he was only for a short time, and I checked it out from the really great book "Hard Bop academy" about the Jazz Messengers sidemen.

[Hot Ptah]

I saw the edition with Valeri Ponomarev, Bobby Watson, David Schnitter, James Williams and Dennis Irwin. They were the very last act in the four day 1978 Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, beginning their set after midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning.

I also saw the Jazz Messengers more than once at Milwaukee's Jazz Gallery in the 1980-82 period. The band was Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Billy Pierce, James Williams and Charles Fambrough.

I spoke to Bobby Watson at a Kansas City jazz festival around 2005, and mentioned that I had seen the band with a young Wynton Marsalis at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee. The band all wore denim bib overalls, and Wynton had a big scraggly beard. Bobby Watson told me that I had seen the fourth gig that Wynton ever performed with the Jazz Messengers. He also said that the band met Brian Lynch in the club that night for the first time. He later joined the band

At the Jazz Gallery, Art introduced all of the members of that band at some length. When he got to Charles Fambrough, he said, "he was playing with McCoy Tyner, but he decided to come with us, because he wanted to play some JAZZ!" The unmistakable premise of what Art was saying, is that McCoy Tyner's music was not jazz.

I went to the restroom between sets at the Jazz Gallery. Art was standing in the doorway as I walked past. I was surprised at how short he was. He played with such power, and was physically not a large man.

[HutchFan]

On 11/29/2017 at 1:11 AM, BFrank said:

I saw him at least 5 times, four of those at the Keystone Korner. Pretty sure the first 3 (1977, 78, 79) were with Valeri Ponomarev, Bobby Watson, David Schnitter, James Williams and Dennis Irwin. A very underrated edition of the band, IMO.

Agreed.  They are probably my favorite post-1960s version of the Jazz Messengers -- at least on record.

Unfortunately, I never got to see Blakey in person.  

[sidewinder]

Yep, Art was quite a short guy in person. I think I remember him in those denim overalls.

Edited December 1, 2017 by sidewinder

[Rooster_Ties]

What was the lowdown on the overalls? I mean, didn't he make the whole band(!) wear matching overalls for a while there (am I remembering they right?).

Were they all tired of dry cleaning bills? 

[BFrank]

14 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Agreed.  They are probably my favorite post-1960s version of the Jazz Messengers -- at least on record.

Unfortunately, I never got to see Blakey in person.  

At least they recorded a fair amount!

[Gheorghe]

16 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

 

When he got to Charles Fambrough, he said, "he was playing with McCoy Tyner, but he decided to come with us, because he wanted to play some JAZZ!" The unmistakable premise of what Art was saying, is that McCoy Tyner's music was not jazz.

 

Incredible. As if McCony Tyner´s music was not jazz.

And I remember, as Blakey intruduced the members of the Band at that gig in march 1980 he also introduced Fambrough with exactly the same words.Blakey had some standard speeches, just like Lou Donaldson when he intruduces "Wee" as  "not recommended for fusion and confusion players...."

[HutchFan]

15 hours ago, BFrank said:

At least they recorded a fair amount!

True!  I'm grateful for the recordings. 

[optatio]

On 29.11.2017 at 7:47 PM, optatio said:

I saw Art Blakey & The Jazzmessengers live June 7, 1987 (Pentecost) at Jazztime Hildesheim (Germany). Line-up: Art Blakey (dr), Wallace Roney (tp), Julian Priester (tb), Javon Jackson (ts), Benny Green (p), Peter Washington (b). I remember that Art Blakey was visibly impressed by Benny Green's playing. 

 

On 1.12.2017 at 4:01 PM, Hot Ptah said:

At the Jazz Gallery, Art introduced all of the members of that band at some length. When he got to Charles Fambrough, he said, "he was playing with McCoy Tyner, but he decided to come with us, because he wanted to play some JAZZ!" The unmistakable premise of what Art was saying, is that McCoy Tyner's music was not jazz.

McCoy Tyner and Art Blakey were announced the same evening, McCoy Tyner first, Art Blakey later. Art Blakey was told that McCoy Tyner would be late. So Art Blakey should start. But McCoy Tyner had not arrived too late. On the way to the stage Art Blakey met McCoy Tyner and was not amused. Maybe this is why Art Blakey has featured 'his' pianist eminently. 

Edited December 2, 2017 by optatio

[Patrick]

Recall seeing Art Blakey twice. The second time was February 9, 1989, at Mandel Hall at Univ of Chicago. Memorable in part because the ensemble was late getting to the gig (flight problems in Minnesota if I recall correctly, or something). In any event, they showed up like 90 minutes late. They walked out and immediately got into it for two or three solid numbers before Art made any introductions/apologies which I thought was the right way to handle it. Neil Tesser blurb in the Reader reminds me that the band included Benny Green, Philip Harper, Robin Eubanks.

My memory of the first time is a bit less reliable -- a jazz festival at Blossom Music Center outside Cleveland, in early eighties (when I was a hip junior high student or something). Bill included Miles Davis noodling on keyboards or something that I didn't understand or appreciate at the time (including the reverential standing ovations after many of these). Most exciting part was Jazz Messengers with Wynton and what I recall as a Dizzy Gillespie band featuring Jon Faddis. Perhaps my memory is incorrect and Dizzy and JF played with Blakey band. Concert also included a cool Gerry Mulligan small group.

[soulpope]

Btw the 1976 Messengers edition with Dave Schnitter, Bill Hardman and Mickey Tucker (!!) was excellent .... can be witnessed via a recent release of their Moers Festival performance in said year ....

Edited December 2, 2017 by soulpope

[Dan Gould]

On 12/1/2017 at 10:01 AM, Hot Ptah said:

 

I spoke to Bobby Watson at a Kansas City jazz festival around 2005, and mentioned that I had seen the band with a young Wynton Marsalis at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee. The band all wore denim bib overalls, and Wynton had a big scraggly beard. Bobby Watson told me that I had seen the fourth gig that Wynton ever performed with the Jazz Messengers. He also said that the band met Brian Lynch in the club that night for the first time. He later joined the band

 

I would have had a follow up: What did the band think of Brian Lynch?

I don't mean musically. Anyone familiar with Brian's early album covers knows he wasn't quite as stylish as he is now. Now he sports the soul patch and nice clothes. Back then he looked completely like a very young, prematurely balding CPA.