Blakey's non-Blue Note albums

[Big Al]

I was just wondering what all was out there and how it stacks up to his Blue Note albums. So far, the only ones I've heard are Jazz Messengers (Columbia) and with Theonious Monk (Atlantic) and I enjoy both of them tremendously. But you can definitely tell there's a different "sound." I also just picked up A Night in Tunisia (Bluebird) after hearing the title track on the Sudden Thoughts radio show a couple weeks back! Finally, I really wanna pick up the album the Messengers did on Impulse. Heard some clips today and they smoked!

Any thoughts from youse all?

[Big Wheel]

There are all the post-Blue Note albums as well, of course. The ones with Woody Shaw on Prestige might be a good place to start...

[Morganized]

I was just wondering what all was out there and how it stacks up to his Blue Note albums.................................

Finally, I really wanna pick up the album the Messengers did on Impulse. Heard some clips today and they smoked!

Any thoughts from youse all?

Big Al,

The Messengers album on Impluse is very good.IMHO. It has only a slightly different feel than alot of his Blue Note stuff. I would highly reccomend that one.

[robviti]

I'm looking forward to Verve's June 8th reissue of 'S Make It, originally released on the Limelight label and featuring John Gilmore along with Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, and John Hicks!

Edited March 24, 2004 by jazzshrink

[kenny weir]

The Impulse! is pretty fine, although I find it never really catches fire after the blazing opener, Fuller's A La Mode.

Another one that finds Blakey in a different sort of setting/feel is the Verve Elite with Joe Gordon and Gigi Gryce.

[BFrank]

Besides that "Impulse!!!" album, there are the Riverside disks - "Ugetsu", "Kyoto" and "Caravan" that are must-haves.

[LAL]

Another recommendation:

Au Club Saint-Germain - a live Dec '58 date. Released on a 2 CD French RCA set and more recently on 3 Japanese CDs).

Lineup - Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merritt.

[Quincy]

I picked up the Bluebird A Night In Tunisia just last month and it is a treat to hear Jackie McLean & Johnny Griffin with Blakey.

The Jazz In Paris Paris Jam Session from 1959 is a real gem. Bud Powell & Barney Wilen appear on 2 tracks. The rest of the band includes Morgan, Shorter & Merritt.

[Claude]

Some of the later Concord sessions are also very good. There is a cheap 2CD compilation available, or if you prefer original albums get Keystone 3, with the Marsalis brothers ... and Chris Albertson as "author" !!! If AMG is correct, I'd be interested in reading what Chris had to say on Wynton

Edited March 24, 2004 by Claude

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Verve is putting out 'S Make It? Ugh - and this will probably be in one of those "LP replica" packages. There is additional material, such as the long take on "Faith" that was on the "We Had A Ball" various artists issue - it has a John Gilmore solo that was edited out of the 'S Make It issue. I don't know if there are similar situations for other tunes on that record.

Is there any time that one of those replica issues have included bonus material? Compared to the Verve Elite series, I give a big thumbs down to the new "It is as it was" Verve line.

But still, rather 'S Make It than Hold On, I'm Coming (which I do have as a Limelight CD and sometimes wish I didn't).

Mike

[king ubu]

Verve is putting out 'S Make It? Ugh - and this will probably be in one of those "LP replica" packages. There is additional material, such as the long take on "Faith" that was on the "We Had A Ball" various artists issue - it has a John Gilmore solo that was edited out of the 'S Make It issue. I don't know if there are similar situations for other tunes on that record.

Is there any time that one of those replica issues have included bonus material? Compared to the Verve Elite series, I give a big thumbs down to the new "It is as it was" Verve line.

That's the big problem with these lousy LP-replicas. Lee Konitz' "Motion", while not edited, I think, had two and a half discs of bonus material in the VEE series, which might have been too much for some, but hey, they could have added one or two tracks, no?

ubu

[jazzmessenger]

Jazz Messengers' recordings on Impulse! and Riverside are all very good. I also love the Messengers that included Wynton Marsalis and Bobby Watson. Many are available on Concord. I particularly like this group's recording on MCA/Impulse! (originally Sunnyside???) titled "Album of the Year". I also have "Hold On, I'm Coming" on Limelight, but it isn't my favorite.

[Hardbopjazz]

All the live stuff from 1958 his European tour smokes. The line up is the Moanin' group. Morga, Golson, Timmons and Merritt.

Olympia Concert

Paris 1958

1958: Paris Olympia

Live in Holland (1958)

Au Club Saint-Germain, Vols. 1-3

Edited March 24, 2004 by Hardbopjazz

[scottb]

I like Caravan. Always like Blakey when Curtis Fuller is on board!

[JSngry]

Some others not yet mentioned:

The Roulette material from the mid-70s. Not "essential" by a long shot, but not bad either, not at all.

Then there's the Argo album, which is not as good as it could have been, but still good enough.

And don't forget about RITUAL on Pacific Jazz. That one's pretty nice.

[JSngry]

I particularly like this group's recording on MCA/Impulse! (originally Sunnyside???) titled "Album of the Year".

That one was leased from Timeless, and may still be available as such. I think Blakey did several sessions for Timeless, not all of which had U.S. release. Seems as if I remember one that was a bigband, or near bigband, date, recorded live(?).

And didn't the later (last?) Messengers do a thing or two for Black Saint/Soul Note?

[Chrome]

The New York Scene (1984) on Concord is really good. It features:

Jean Toussant - tenor

Donald Harrison - alto

Terence Blanchard - trumpet

Mulgrew Miller - piano

Lonnie Plaxico - base

I also enjoy the Prestige "Child's Dance" sessions ... kind of a different approach for Blakey w/some Stanley Clarke action going on.

And I've got a disc called "Hard Bop" from the mid-1950s w/Jackie Mac and Bill Hardman that totally cooks.

[tjluke68]

I have the import 2 CD set of the Roulette material and Ronnie's a Dynamite Lady is a smokin' track. Another good one is out on Sonet - In Walked Sonny with Sonny Stitt/Art Blakey & the Messengers!

[BruceH]

A great big for the two Impulse albums. The second one includes Sonny Stitt, a good thing as Martha would say.

All three Riverside albums are excellent; near essential I would say.

Ritual---not essential, but good.

OK, so I like Blakey!

[doubleM]

I saw a vinyl copy of a Blakey record by the name of (something like) "Theme from Golden Boy", "Sountrack from Golden Boy" or some shit. Mogie was on it, but it was too expensive for me. Anyone hip to this one? Maybe it had Gilmore, too.

[couw]

A kind boardmember made me a dub of that album. Rather nice, full arrangements played by an augmented band. I have been wanting to pull this one out again after I saw this thread.

[bertrand]

If the Golden Boy you saw had the original pictue of Blakey in a Kimono, jump on it. This is a very hard to find, and the master tape is AWOL so Blue Note (who own Colpix) won't be getting around to it anytime soon.

Wayne, Lee, Freddie, Curtis, Cedar et alia are on it - a very nice record.

The entire 'S Make It (with the unedited track), Soul Finger and the tune 'Slowly But Surely' from Hold On I'm Comin' (which really belongs to Soul Finger) could probably fit on one CD. I'm sure Verve is not examining this option.

Bertrand.

[Jazzmoose]

I really like the May 13 1961 concert on Europe1 (with Wayne, Lee, Bobby and Jymie). Great stuff.

Two that I find interesting, although some might not be enamored are the Prestige discs Child's Dance and Mission Eternal. Woody Shaw, Cedar Walton and others. Not your typical Blakey stuff, but interesting in it's own right.

[Jazzmoose]

Some of the later Concord sessions are also very good. There is a cheap 2CD compilation available, or if you prefer original albums get Keystone 3, with the Marsalis brothers ... and Chris Albertson as "author" !!! If AMG is correct, I'd be interested in reading what Chris had to say on Wynton

Claude, all i can find on my CD of Keystone 3 from Chris is this quote:

"The sextet is simply marvelous...this is the kind of music making that jazz is all about." -Chris Albertson, Stereo Review

[mikeweil]

I found the Prestige sessions mentioned above somewhat disappointing, especially the percussion jams, which lead nowhere, and they have some problems with timing together, Blakey included. The band stuff was nice but not spectacular, and Walton does not sound too indentifiable on electric piano.