Art Blakey & Thelonious Monk: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk (Atlantic Jazz Gallery) CD Track Listing

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Art Blakey & Thelonious Monk Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk (Atlantic Jazz Gallery) (1957)
2000 Rhino/Atlantic Recording Corp.\n\nOriginally Released 1957\nCD Edition Released June 1987\nAtlantic Jazz Gallery CD Edition Released February 16, 1999\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk (1958) was one of a number of landmark projects that Monk (piano) would record during the remarkably prolific spring and summer of 1957. In addition to this confab, he also documented the solo platter Thelonious Himself (1957), as well as Monk's Music's (1957) with a septet, and even going toe to toe with another respective pair of his formidable contemporaries on Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane (1957) and Mulligan Meets Monk (1957). However in this classic confrontation, Art Blakey (drums) and his concurrent Jazz Messengers -- featuring the talents of Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Bill Hardman (trumpet), and Spanky Debrest (bass) -- play host to the pianist on his only sides for the venerable Atlantic record label. As one might anticipate with an artist whose catalog almost single-handedly defines bebop, the vast majority of the cleverly chosen material consists of Monk standards. While both co-leads rise to the occasion with thoroughly expressive performances throughout, this incarnation of the Jazz Messengers reveals a particularly potent support. During "Evidence," Hardman unleashes a powerful lead into an equally inspired keyboard run of enthusiastic chord progressions and advanced phrasings from Monk. Griffin's interminable bop mentality effortlessly punctuates "In Walked Bud" as he almost immediately pounces into the free swinging melody with a verve that refuses to subside. From Blakey's boisterous opening to "Blue Monk" right through to the single-note crescendo during the finale, the Jazz Messengers provide a lethargic propulsion that showcases the tune's bluesy origins. This directly contrasts the up-tempo charge of "Rhythm-a-Ning." The quirky-yet-catchy chorus bounces from the dual-lead horn section with the entire arrangement tautly bound by the understated Debrest and Blakey. Griffin's "Purple Shades" is a smartly syncopated blues that is more of a musical platform for the Jazz Messengers than for Monk. That said, his opening solo alternately shimmers and shudders with Debrest as well as the two-piece brass section demonstrating its own pronounced capabilities over Monk's counterpoint. This European release contains an additional three full-length "alternate takes" of "Evidence," "Blue Monk" -- which in some ways bests the released version -- and "I Mean You." These are the same supplementary sides that are included on the Rhino Records 1999 North American domestic CD reissue of this same title. ~ Lindsay Planer\n\nAmazon.com essential recording\nIn 1957 Thelonious Monk still lived at the edges of acceptance by a larger jazz audience, and Art Blakey's signature group was in the midst of a long formative phase. With Bill Hardman's cutting, raw-edged trumpet and Johnny Griffin's gruff and coiling tenor, Blakey's band was a looser, less defined, but more intense unit than it would become later with in-house composers like Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons, and Wayne Shorter. When Blakey and Monk, longtime friends and associates, made this date playing some of Monk's core material, the Messengers became virtually a Monk ensemble and one of the most inspired to record. A year later, Griffin would be a regular member of Monk's quartet, and this disc demonstrates why. --Stuart Broomer \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMonophonically Marvelous Monk, December 11, 2003 \nReviewer: Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)\nI purchased this recording because of the presence of its three forceful and virtuosic if not indomitable hard-bop players--Blakey, Griffin, and the underrated Hardman. Moreover, with Blakey at the controls, you expect the music to be hard-driving, soulful and funky-- regardless of who the other personnel are (not to mention the date being under the Jazz Messengers' name).\n\nThe surprise, possibly even for some Monk fans: nobody upstages, detracts from, plays over or by Thelonious, whose session this is from beginning to end. His irresistible, indelible stamp is on every bar of every tune, which he achieves as much by laying out as by constructing weird, off-balance voicings and elliptical, serendipitous melodic motifs. By slowing practically every tempo down to his favorite groove--somewhere south of "medium" tempo--he gives himself necessary creative space while forcing the other three to fill space with pyrotechnics--but never leaving any doubt about who the ringmaster is.\n\nThis is as enjoyable a Monk session as any I've heard (even if it's very atypical Messengers' music). Just be forewarned that the piano is out of tune (which Monk exploits in all registers), and the stereo separation on my copy is so ridiculously extreme that Thelonious Sphere seems to be occupying (literally) another sonic sphere. In fact, the only way I found to appreciate the album, and fully "hear" the music, was to mix the two channels into a monophonic signal (not possible, unfortunately, with many machines). \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMeeting of giants, June 3, 2001 \nReviewer: "vinylcootie" (Brighton, UK)\nThis is one of those wonderful encounters that crisply exhibit the fertility of jazz. Art Blakey's bands were among the most swinging units of the 50s, admired for their tight orchestrations and sheer command of their material. Monk had been recording his own works for Riverside with highly creative, complex musicians, assembled by Orrin Keepnews.\n\nThe March 1957 recording with Art Blakey is an unqualified masterpiece. The startling uniqueness of Monk's compositions emerges out of a fascinating dialogue between himself and Blakey. Johnny Griffin contributes one composition to the date, "Purple Shades". "In Walked Bud" contains some of Blakey's most creative drumming: rolls so brief and dense they flutter like whispers, sharp rimshots that accentuate the contours of Monk's ideas, a pulse that is implied more by space between identifiable sonic events than by sounds themselves. A similarly magical treatment is afforded to "Evidence", "Blue Monk" and "I Mean You". The timelessness of this recording lies in its ability to create a synthesis of the origins of jazz in blues motifs and an authoritative development of these motifs into a new, modern music. Johnny Griffin is on sparkling form, spurred by the driving rapport between Monk and Blakey, delivering solos of considerable intensity and originality.\n\nThis record is what modern jazz in the 50s was all about. It predated many of the rhythmic and harmonic "innovations" of the following decade, and still today sets extremely high standards for contemporary jazz. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe Blakey-Monk Jazz School, November 4, 2000\nReviewer: "loek" (Amsterdam Netherlands)\nWhen I first heard this classic album I became fascinated by the collaboration between Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk. This is communication on the highest level possible. You can wake me up in the middle of the night to listen to I Mean You or Rhythm-a-Ning. Just the way Blakey & Monk seem to "feed" ideas to Bill Hardman - who's way below the level of B&M - is something I can listen to for as long as I live. And then there's Johnny Griffin, a Monk player as good as Charlie Rouse ever was. This new CD is such a big improvement; at last there is the balance that was sadly missing in the original longplay album. If you ever want to understand and appreciate the real genius of B&M, get this one - and listen to it, study it, enjoy it.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA great improvement over the original CD, March 28, 2000\nReviewer: "doublehighc" (California)\nHere is another CD remaster that is worlds better than what it replaces. The original CD of this album had Monk in one channel, the Messengers in the other channel, with everyone muffled by dim sound. Apparently they didn't do that one from the original masters.\n\nThis time they got it right. The sound is much more present, and it's in high-quality mono rather than the annoying "stereo" of the previous release. You can ever hear the bass this time! Rhythm-a-Ning is a personal favorite of mine since we played an arrangement of it in my college jazz band, but in any event this is a top notch collaboration between Monk and Blakey.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\ndissonant..., September 18, 2004 \nReviewer: Cedric Westphal "cedichou" (san francisco, ca)\nI am going to sound a different bell than the other reviewers here: while they rave about this album, I have to say I was rather annoyed. To me, Monk did not integrate with Blakey's band. They are playing in a quite straight up style, and he is in a very broken motifs mood. His style is very percussive here (short abrupt chords, with little continuity) and keeps running against the music the others weave around him. It sounded to me like a kid sabotaging the music. He is silent on the head out of 'evidence', or on the drums solo: those are the best parts. \n(and don't get me wrong: I love Monk, he's a genius and one of the greatest composers, it just did not fit here). \n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nBill Hardman, Contributing Artist\nJohnny Griffin, Contributing Artist\nEarl Brown, Engineer\nNesuhi Ertegun, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Art Blakey (drums); Thelonious Monk (piano); Johnny Griffin (tenor saxophone); Bill Hardman (trumpet); Spanky DeBrest (bass).\n\nIncludes liner notes by Martin Williams.
This jazz cd contains 9 tracks and runs 64min 38sec.
Freedb: 6e0f2409

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