Art Blakey discovered and championed young talented musicians such as Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Keith Jarrett and Wynton Marsalis to name but a few. But he also delivered the "message" of hard bop through thousands of performances at festivals right down to the smallest club. Lively, joyous performances, the very highest technical standards and somnambulistic music-making characterize this recording. Right from the very start it is clear that these jazz ambassadors have a new message for us. The hard-beat recordings win in lyricism thanks to the gentle sound of Curtis Fuller's trombone, something that was often missing in the powerful Blue Note sound. Four jazz evergreens give the musicians the time and opportunity to display their soloistic talents. The real climax, however, is to be found in the harmonic layering of the three winds which lend the themes new appeal. The message was broadcasted many times until the death of Art Blakey, but the history of jazz would have been a great deal poorer without these milestone recordings on the Impulse label. Art Blakey certainly knew how to delight his audience with fire, originality, a wealth of ideas and great humor.

Musicians:

Art Blakey, drums
Jymie Merritt, bass
Lee Morgan, trumpet
Wayne Shorter, tenor saxophone

Curtis Fuller, trombone
Bobby Timmons, piano

Track Listing:

1. À la Mode
2. Invitation
3. Circus
4. You Don't Know What Love Is
5. I Hear a Rhapsody
6. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫