Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers At Baker's Keyboard Lounge

Veteran jazz percussionist Alt Blakey, now 57, led his latest hard-bop outfit into Baker's last month for ten days of the finest late 50's/ early 60's improvisational music one could hope to hear. Boasting the seasoned trumpet star Bill Hardman, who was wilh Blakey in 1956-58 when Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin were the saxophonists in the band, and the hard-driving young white tenor saxophonist David Schutter, the 1976 Jazz Messengers retain all the fire and strength of the classic Blakey quintets without sounding one minute out of date, an example which many more "modern" ensembles might do well to follow.
But they don't have Art Blakey, after all, and that leaves a big hole in almost any band these days. Art is another of this country's least acknowledged but most important national resources, a brilliantly resourceful percussionist who has played a major role in shaping the sound. of all popular music from his position as one of the first jazz drummers to grasp, and develop the Bird-and-Diz approach to rhythm and sound. Prominently featured as the drummer for Billy Eckstine's groundbreaking bebop big band of 1944-1947 an orchestra which had Dizzy Gillespie as its musical director, Charlie Parker, . Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker and Lucky Thompson on saxophones, Miles Davis and Fats Navarro in the trumpet section, vocals by Eckstine and the 20-year-old Sarah Vauglin-Blakey formed the Jazz Messengers in 1955 following the success of his 1954 unit which included Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, and the young Horace Silver (heard on A Night at Birdland, Volumes 1 &. 2, on Blue Note Records).
In the twenty-one years since then Art Blakey has introduced or extensively showcased an incredible number of creative musicians in his Jazz Messengers, starting with Kenny Dorham-Hank Mobley-Horace Silver -and-Doug Watkins, then Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean Bill Hardman, Johnny Griffin, Lee Morgan-Benny Golson-Bobby Timmons, Freddie Hubbard-Wayne Shorter Curtis Fuller-Cedar Walton, the Brecker Brothers, Tyrone Washington, and many others. His current edition lacks the pioneering, out-on-the-edge quality of the earlier bands, but they make up for it by charging the classic repertoire and stance of the 1958-61 Messengers with the energy, intelligence and wit of today. Thus this rich historica! period-which is almost totally unnoticed by the music pundits of the present era is brought back to life and delivered in full, undiluted strength to the eager present-day jazz audience.
Blakey s last set Friday night, upon which this review is based, opened with a patented mid-tempo bounce number which immediately took the edge off the room. Tenorist Schlitter was featured next on a warm, full-bodied ballad offering which switched into Blakey's favorite double-time trot tor the improvised choruses, providing a firm basis for the young saxophonist's extended essay covering the major tenor styles of the 50's. Schlitter, like Pat LaBarbara (heard here recently with Elvin Jones's quartet), stays strictly within the boundaries of a particular modern saxophone tradition (in LaBarbara's case, period Coltrane). working the genre for all the emotional and musical gold which has been left virtually untapped since 1963 or so, He combines the approaches of tenor giants Sonny Rollins, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, early Wayne Shorter, and the John Coltrane of 1955-57 to fashion a synthesis which effectively echoes the entire era without Sounding like a cop on any one player --definitely an interesting and highly rewarding conception, and absolutely perfect tor this Blakey organization.
Hardman and Schlitter stepped out decisively on the Jazz Messengers classic "Blues March," with the diminutive tenor man outstanding once again and Hardman fluent and fiery as ever. The trumpeter got his feature on "It Might As Well Be Spring," shining brightly through the standard Blakey arrangement: ballad tempo on the theme, double-time for the choruses, back to the ballad and out. This veteran musician has improved tremendously since his last, faltering stint with the master drummer in the mid-50's, and his playing al all tempos is utterly fluid and tasteful these days.
"Moanin' " and "A Night in Tunisia" finished off the rest of the night in grand fashion, with more quintessential tenor saxophone from Schlitter, sparkling horn trom Hardman, solid backing by pianist Ron Burton and bassist Chen Suzuki, and the inimitable Art Blakey bebop tip. The master took his chance to stretch out some on "Tunisia," laying down a multi-directional solo which turned the place inside out with joy and delight, and then Schlitter and Hardman added the sweetest topping one could possibly want before laying down their arms tor the evening.
Please don't miss them the next time they're in town this , is one band that must he heard!

- John Sinclair