Big Beat [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Various Artists - Jazz - Bebop/Post-Bop/Avant-Garde, Art Blakey, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B0009X77DQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,485 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Chess Players

2. Sakeena's Vision

3. Politely

4. Dat Dere

5. Lester Left Town

6. It's Only a Paper Moon

7. It's Only a Paper Moon [Alternate Take][#][*]

Editorial Reviews

With "The Big Beat" Art Blakey introduced a highly original saxophonist and composer to the jazz world. Wayne Shorter's "The Chess Players" and "Lester Left Town" have since become jazz standards. The album also gave the Jazz Messengers a hit with Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere" and their version of "It's Only A Paper Moon" is hard bop at its most exciting.

* bonus tracks, not part of the original LP

ART BLAKEY, drums
LEE MORGAN, trumpet
WAYNE SHORTER, tenor sax
BOBBY TIMMONS, piano
JYMIE MERRITT, bass

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good a start as any, July 20, 2005

By 

Michael Hardin (South Duxbury, Vermont United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Beat (Audio CD)

People talk about "Moanin'" as being the first album to get when getting into Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Although Moanin' was my first Messengers album (aside from the Ken Burns Art Blakey CD, but that doesn't really count as an album), and I proceeded to buy "A Night in Tunisia" and "Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers," I could never really warm up to them until I had heard this one. I immediately loved this album for its great compositions, great solos, and deep, powerful swing, and it really served as a launching point for me to go out and get everything this group cut, everything other Messengers lineups cut, and many albums by the various sidemen. So I have to confess that this album holds a special place in my heart.

"The Big Beat" was recorded in 1960 and features Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass, with the leader on drums. Though all of these musicians had recorded together with Blakey prior to this, this is the first time this specific lineup recorded, and they would go on to record seven more albums over the next year and a half. Though all of the albums are very good (and some are spectacular), this may be the best, perhaps along with "A Night in Tunisia" and "Roots & Herbs." Wayne Shorter supplies three originals, all of which are interesting, swing hard, and provide a good basis for the soloists. Of special note is "The Chess Players," a very bluesy, medium tempo tune that may seem atypical of Wayne's work, especially his later stuff, but it's just quirky enough in form to indicate where the young composer was going. Also, the rendition of "It's Only a Paper Moon" is far from being a cheesy gimmick, as one might suspect; instead, there's an aura of playful mystery that is helped (or perhaps created) by Lee Morgan's genious trumpet playing. It's one of my favorite cuts on the album.

All in all, this is a very accessible, hard-swinging album and a fantastic introduction to the Jazz Messengers and what this edition was all about. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes jazz regardless of their listening experience. There's something on every level here.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Messengers' best?, May 26, 2000

By 

"newkfan" (Aberdeen, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Beat (Audio CD)

The only problem with Messengers' albums is that there are so many around that it can be difficult for the newcomer to know where to begin. The good news is that there are very few duds, especially among the Blue Notes from the 50s and 60s. Within that category, the quintessential records are probably the mid-50s live Cafe Bohemia sets with Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham and Horace Silver, which are among the finest early flowers of hard bop, and the powerful 60s records by the Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller and Cedar Walton group, notably Free For All and Mosaic. But between these peaks there is plenty of good stuff, including several sets by the Shorter, Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons group featured on the Big Beat. A Night In Tunisia is usually cited as the best of this bunch, for an incredibly intense version of the title tune. But if, like me, you find that track a little OTT, you may prefer the more restrained punch of the Big Beat. The Penguin Guide describes this record as 'patchy' but it's difficult to see why. The tunes are great, including three excellent Shorter compositions and Timmons' soul jazz classic Dat Dere, and everyone is on exellent form. You won't regret buying it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blakey's Boppin' Best, January 11, 2001

By 

Brad Christensen (Peoria, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Beat (Audio CD)

This is Art Blakey's strongest CD from start to finish, superior to his top-selling "Moanin'." The Big Beat features Blakey's most gifted group of Messengers (and that's saying alot). Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter on horns, Jymie Merritt on bass, and pianoman extraordinaire Bobby Timmons. The arrangement and performance of "It's Only A Paper Moon" will completely knock you off your chair. "Dat Dere" moves madly, showcasing Timmons. Shorter's compositions "Sakeena's Vision" and "Lester Left Town" are fabulous. Morgan's and Shorter's solos are hot throughout, and of course, Blakey drives the whole group at a feverish tempo.