Art Blakey the Jazz Messengers Moanin Trumpet
Song Of The Day: Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers 'Moanin''
Published April ix, 2014 at 10:38 AM PDT
smithsonianjazz.org
Today nosotros plow our attention to drummer and ring leader Art Blakey. Blakey was one of the nigh powerful and gregarious drummers in jazz, and non many can match his sheer exuberance and communication. Withal, he is most known for his band, The Jazz Messengers, which he led from the early '50s until his death in 1990.
In that nearly 40-year span, near every great immature jazz musician went through the band. Blakey would hire the best young cats he could find, make them all compose for the band, teach them all he could, and and so kick them out to get their own leaders, only to start the process over over again. "Jazz University" was what they chosen the band.
Over the years, The Jazz Messengers amassed a huge amount of original compositions, and each new fellow member of the band was supposed to know them all. Blakey didn't allow the musicians to use sheet music on stage, then when you lot got the call to join the ring you had your work cut out for you lot!
Brian Lynch is one of the trumpeters who joined the band in the '80s, and a guy I've become friendly with. He told me the story of when he got the telephone call from Blakey. Art told him "exist on the next plane to Paris, we take a gig one calendar week from today." Brian spent the next week furiously studying the Messengers' records, trying to acquire every song he could. Of course, the first vocal Art called on his first gig was one he hadn't learned, and Brian had to merely hang on and promise for the best! Later the gig, Blakey took him aside and told him that improve non happen again. How's that for trial by burn?
Today's song is one of the most famous Jazz Messengers tunes, chosen "Moanin." This is the quintessential "hard bop" song. Hard bop was an extension of be bop, which nosotros talked almost early, that was more muscular and bluesy. You'll run across what I mean when y'all listen to this tune, which was written by pianist Bobby Timmons and features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor sax and Jymie Merritt on bass.
Incidentally, i of my favorite moments in recorded jazz happens on this recording. Listen at the 3:00 marking at the cease of Morgan's trumpet solo. He plays a little phrase (called a "lick" in jazz talk), and then Golson starts his solo playing the same lick. This was non planned out; they were both improvising. Morgan didn't know he was going to play that phrase until he played it, and Golson certainly didn't know information technology was coming. Merely Golson was listening to what Morgan was playing and answered him, just like in a conversation. Brilliant stuff!
As a bonus, here's a very absurd interview with pianist Benny Greenish about playing with Art. He describes his first time on the bandstand with Art at the drums and how incredibly powerful he was.
So far I've featured archetype jazz tunes by the legends of the music. In the next mail service, we'll focus on i of the hot new faces on the jazz scene and get a taste of what more modern big band music sounds like, courtesy of Darcy James Fence'south Undercover Society.
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Jason Parker is a Seattle-based jazz trumpet histrion, educator and writer. His band, The Jason Parker Quartet, was hailed by Earshot Jazz equally "the adjacent generation of Seattle jazz." Notice out more than about Jason and his music at jasonparkermusic.com.
Source: https://www.knkx.org/jazz-and-blues/2014-04-09/song-of-the-day-art-blakey-and-the-jazz-messengers-moanin
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