Jazz can sometimes be frightening for music fans. Some can’t get
\ninto it no matter what, and even for the more adventurous souls out
\nthere, the question becomes where to start. One of the CD’s I would
\nrecommend for people interested in jazz is
\nMoanin’<\/i> by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, especially
\nnow that Blue Note Records has released a remastered version of
\nthis classic.<\/p>\n
The Jazz Messengers were a group that spanned four decades.
\nDrummer Art Blakey was the one constant member in the changing
\npersonnel. He had a knack for picking great young talents for his
\nband, and the roster for the Jazz Messengers included such greats
\nas Clifford Brown, Wayne Shorter, and Wynton Marsalis.<\/p>\n
\nMoanin’<\/i> came out in 1958 and has to be considered a high
\npoint for the group. This CD does not waste any time sucking the
\nlistener in with the title tune. Pianist Bobby Timmons starts out
\nby engaging the rest of the band in a catchy but bluesy call and
\nresponse melody, before the individual solos kick in. A particular
\nstandout on this tune is trumpeter Lee Morgan, who turns in a
\nperformance that is hot yet subtly heartfelt.<\/p>\n
“Are You Real?” was written by saxophonist Benny Golson (who
\nwrote all but two of the songs on this CD). It has a wonderful
\nmelody and some strong hard bopping by the band. Like much of
\nMoanin’<\/i>, there is an accessibility to the material that is
\ninviting, but there also some imaginative arrangements as well.<\/p>\n
“Along Came Betty” slows the pace with a lilting melody and a
\nrhythm that is supposed to imitate a woman’s walk. Golson, Timmons
\nand Morgan all perform their solos at a leisurely pace while still
\nplaying with passion, not an easy feat.<\/p>\n
Next comes “The Thunder Drum Suite”, a suite in three parts. The
\nfirst theme “Drum Thunder” gives Blakey a chance to really show his
\nstuff. He truly gets into a drum frenzy, even using mallets to
\nevoke the sound of thunder. (Rush drummer Neil Peart’s next side
\nproject should be a Blakey tribute).<\/p>\n
The second theme: “Cry A Blue Tear” is a softer, melodic tune
\nand Blakey is able to shift gears and provide a nice Latin rhythm.
\nThe third theme, “Harlem’s Disciples” has the band going bluesy.
\nOverall, the suite is a nice and unexpected piece for the CD.<\/p>\n
“Blues March” is an attempt by the Jazz Messengers to combine
\nbebop with New Orleans style dixieland, and the result is
\noutstanding. Again, the band are able to come up with hot solos
\nwhile remaining loyal to the marching band rhythm.<\/p>\n
There is a cover of the standard “Come Rain Or Come Shine” which
\ngets a light jazz treatment and is a nice way to end the set,
\nexcept there is a bonus track, an alternate take of “Moanin'” which
\nis inferior to the chosen take only because of Morgan’s solo is not
\nas inspired.<\/p>\n
Next to Miles Davis’
\nKind Of Blue<\/i>, I think that
\nMoanin’<\/i> is probably the best jazz CD you could get as a
\nnewcomer because it is accessible while not compromising talent or
\nintensity. And for jazz fans, it is a must have CD because there
\nare plenty of twists and turns along the way and songs that are
\nmemorable and distinct.
\nMoanin’<\/i> is the best of all worlds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":25079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[6140],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-36284","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-art-blakey-and-the-jazz-messengers","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/36284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/36284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36284"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=36284"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=36284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}