The late 1950s were a fabulously fertile time for jazz and a first pinnacle in the history of the Blue Note record label. The confluence of established stars with emerging players made for a swirling outpouring of creativity that resonated down the decades. One of the major figures of the period (and both before and afterwards, for that matter) was drummer Art Blakey.

Pennsylvania born Blakey learned his craft on the road with the swing orchestra of Fletcher Henderson and was a core part of Billy Eckstine’s legendary band, the one that featured Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon and Thelonious Monk, amongst others. As he developed into the leading figure in hard bop, Blakey formed his own outfits, none better than that assembled for his 1958 recording, Moanin’. With Lee Morgan on trumpet and Benny Golson on tenor, the rhythm section of Bobby Timmons (piano), Jymie Merritt (bass) and the leader was a foundation for the soloists combining fire and finesse. 

Opening with the indelibly catchy groove of the title track, Moanin’ unfolds like a master class in bop. Golson’s “Are you real” has a great melody and fabulous solo from the young Lee Morgan. The side closes out with the laid back “Along came Betty” which Leonard Feather’s original line notes describe as an attempt to capture “the musical effect of her grace and femininity”. Righty-oh.

Benny Golson wrote much of the material on Moanin’, and his three part suite for leader Blakey opens side two. “The Drum Thunder (Miniature) Suite” has solos from the two brass players and Timmons’ piano interleaved with Blakey’s percussion breaks, amply demonstrating the drummer’s versatility and range. “Blues March” has a New Orleans flavour, and the LP finishes with the only standard on this date, Arlen and Mercer’s “Come rain or come shine”.

Moanin’ was well received at the time and has only grown in stature since. Which is why its inclusion in the current Blue Note re-issue series is so welcome. As Blue Note’s original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder did such a fine job all those years ago, the re-issue team at Blue Note were off to a flying start. In this case, the analog tapes were re-mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) with an astonishingly good result. The sound of this LP—and indeed the current series—is to be savoured, and represents fabulous value for your jazz buck. The communication from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers is clear: listen up!

***