Blakey, Art & The Jazz Messengers Moanin' CD

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers: Art Blakey (drums); Billy Harper (tenor saxophone); Bill Hardman (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Ronnie Matthews (piano); Larry Evans (bass).
Recorded in 1968. Includes liner notes by Scott Yanow.
Full performer name: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.
The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of MOANIN' includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Art Blakey (drums); Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Bobby Timmons (piano); Jymie Merritt (bass).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on October 30, 1958. Originally released on Blue Note (4003). Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather and Bob Blumenthal.
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Rudy Van Gelder (Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).
This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series.
A live set by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers recorded in Europe in 1968, Moanin' has been released a couple of previous times by different labels. The music, which features Blakey on drums, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Billy Harper on tenor sax, Ronnie Mathews on piano, Julian Priester on trombone, and Lawrence Evans on bass, is surprisingly well recorded and it's an energetic and vigorous set with spirited versions of "Slide's Delight" and the title tune. ~ Steve Leggett
Art Blakey's classic Blue Note album, Moanin', has seen more than its share of reissuing and modified packaging since its initial release in 1958. This SACD edition (which has no reference to the title on the front booklet cover, yet retains the original artwork and music) features an alternate take of the title track, and a small vocal clip of Lee Morgan and Rudy Van Gelder conversing. Other than that, its an enhanced audio version of some of the greatest music Blakey produced in the studio with arguably his very best band. While most fans will already have this material, it is the audiophile jazz lover who will appreciate the digitally reproduced depth of field and sharply accented sound quality they can now hear from an analog recording done some 50 years prior. There are three tracks that are immortal and will always stand the test of time. The title selection is a pure tuneful melody stewed in a bluesy shuffle penned by pianist Bobby Timmons, while tenor saxophonist Benny Golson's classy, slowed "Along Came Betty" and the static, militaristic "Blues March" will always have a home in the repertoire of every student or professional jazz band. "Are You Real?" has the most subtle of melody lines, and "Drum Thunder Suite" has Blakey's quick blasting tom-tom-based rudiments reigning on high as the horns sigh, leading to hard bop. "Come Rain or Come Shine" is the piece that commands the most attention, a highly modified, lilting arrangement where the accompanying staggered, staccato rhythms contrast the light-hearted refrains. Certainly a complete and wholly satisfying album, Moanin' ranks with the very best of Blakey and what modern jazz offered in the late '50s and beyond. ~ Michael G. Nastos
This is a particularly obscure live set by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, one not even listed in most discographies. The 1968 edition of Blakey's band was a strong if underrated unit consisting of the drummer/leader, trumpeter Bill Hardman, trombonist Julian Priester, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, pianist Ronnie Mathews and bassist Lawrence Evans. This CD is well-recorded and is highlighted by "Slide's Delight," Harper's ballad feature on "You Don't Know What Love Is," and a spirited remake of "Moanin." [This is the 1968 Laserlight edition of the LP.] ~ Scott Yanow
If you simply can only have one Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers disc (and why would you stop there?), it absolutely must be MOANIN'. This 1958 Blue Note date is the cream of the early Messengers' studio sessions. The group of this period featured the wailing