ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings is sure to be a real thrill for fans of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. It is a never before rebased or heard recording of a show they played at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo on January 14, 1961. The group was one of the first to tour the country and enthralled caudices everywhere they played. At the time, the band was made up of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass and for this set they performed plenty of classics such as Charlie Parker's 'Now's the Time' and Thelonious Monk's 'Round About Midnight.'

Review: For their next trick, Blue Note unleash a newly remastered album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers that was first released in 1967, six years after it was recorded. With Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass, some say this was the band's greatest ever line up. The tunes were written by a mixture of the band members and range from the deep soul joy of 'A Little Busy' to the dancier 'Lost And Found' via the modal masterpiece that is 'Afrique.'