Customer Reviews

Buhaina's Delight

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Recorded in late 1961, this album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers actually takes a step back from "Mosaic," the brilliantly intense but somewhat cold debut of the most explosive and arguably the best edition of the group. This album features the same personnel: Freddie Hubbard plays trumpet, Wayne Shorter is the tenor saxophonist, Curtis Fuller plays trombone, Cedar Walton is the pianist, Jymie Merritt plays bass, and Art Blakey leads and pushes from behind the drumset. Whereas "Mosaic" features mostly uptempo tunes, "Buhaina's Delight" is made up of medium swing grooves more reminiscent of the group that preceeded this one (with Lee Morgan in place of Hubbard, Bobby Timmons instead of Walton, and Fuller omitted), though the compositions, with Wayne Shorter as musical director, definitely have a more modern harmonic approach. The medium tempo selections swing hard (nobody was better than Art Blakey at medium tempo) and feature excellent soloing from the talented band. In addition to the swingers, this album features a rare ballad, Shorter's beautiful "Contemplation," my favorite Messengers ballad performance. There is also a beautiful uptempo arrangement of "Moon River" and an extended drum feature, "Bu's Delight." Given that Art Blakey's solo vocabulary was somewhat limited, the latter can be a bit predictable at times if you've heard other Blakey features, but his time and swing are perfect. Drummers take note.

All in all, this is a very accessible album and a relatively tame way to get introduced to this edition of the Jazz Messengers. It stands in the shadow of "Mosaic" (though I prefer this one) and the absolutely brilliant "Free For All" that would follow in three years, but it is still a great session all around.

After a brief absence in the Blue Note catalog, I am delighted the label has reissued Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' "Buhaina's Delight" via the RVG series. Unfortunately, "Buhaina" (btw, it's Blakey's Muslim name) has too often sat in the shadow of "Mosaic." And while it doesn't quite hit the same fever pitch as its remarkable predecessor, it is a truly first rate modern jazz album. The same Messenger lineup of Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Cedar Walton on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass return to accompany Art on the drums for these two sessions. The band first went into the studio on November 28, 1961 to cut "Contemplation" and what became the album's four alternate tracks. The group must not have been satisfied with the results because they returned to the studio three weeks later on December 18th to record "Shaky Jake," and the eventual master takes of "Backstage Sally," "Bu's Delight," "Reincarnation Blues" and "Moon River." While the remakes are a bit tighter (particularly "Bu's Delight"), the alternates are all very solid, and it is delightful to listen to the differences more than forty years removed. (Note, the same alternates were available on the earlier CD incarnation of this title, though thankfully in a new order so you don't have to listen to "Moon River" back-to-back.) You too will be delighted (my last pun, I promise) when you have a chance to hear "Buhaina's Delight" for yourself.

From the start of Backstage Sally, you know this is another classic messengers session. Recorded in 1961 Blakey and his men focus on tunes displaying the energy and talent of Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, and of course Blakey himself. Wayne Shorter wrote most of the tunes contained in this album. Shorter wrote "Backstage Sally" the beautiful ballad "Contemplation" and "Reincarnation Blues." In each of these pieces Shorter wrote all of them away from the piano. He found working without a piano you get a different approach, a broader outlook. You'll notice that in each piece it gives the instrumentalist a freer approach to express themselves note from note. The highlight for Blakey fans would "Bu's Delight" an excellent tune written by trombonist Curtis Fuller for Art Blakey which gives him a excellent thunderous drum solo! This is supersonic hard bop at its best! Not to be forgotten on this cd as well is Cedar Walton's "Shaky Jake" and Wayne Shorter's arrangement of Hank Mancini's "Moon River", conceived as a slow ballad Shorter makes it swing Art Blakey style. This album is one every jazz messenger fan should own!!

This session practically validates Wayne Shorter's initial refusal to leave Blakey's group when Miles Davis began courting the emerging tenor star (his talents on soprano would not become apparent until Weather Report). Shorter plays with a straight-ahead, hard-edged, definitive boppish assurance that's frankly quite refreshing after hearing much of his later, more tentative and experimental work.

I've never been crazy about the Blakey ensembles that exceed five players--too much solo space is sacrificed to ensemble effect. But Curtis Fuller is especially nimble on this date and moreover contributes the title number--sufficient reason in itself to pick up this recording. More than a "throwaway" head for a drum feature, "Bu's Delight" is a contagious melody, resembling an operatic aria in its sweeping contours and sustained phrases that are picked up and completed by Blakey's percussive extensions. His solo is a thing of beauty--not so much because of technical wizardry or a panoply of various percussive instruments and tunings--but because of his ability to keep it swinging. The high hat is rock steady despite the fast tempo and the absence of the other instruments. Bu maintains the musical continuity of the original composition rather than using it as a mere set of book-ends for a drum exhibition.

Shorter's arrangement for "Moon River" works surprisingly well as a driving, hard-bop vehicle, though it strikes me that some of the alterations, while making the tune less of a harmonic obstacle course, detract from the more tuneful, infectious qualities of one of Mancini's better songs.

"Buhainas Delight", although slightly inferior to "Free for all" and "Mosaic" made by the same line up, is a typical messengers session. The sequencing is a little akward starting out with the humble "Backstage Sally" and then "Contemplation" a ballad by Shorter which is full of unique twists and turns. Then all of a sudden is the title track which cooks every second. Although solos are included on "Buhainas Delight" by sidemen, it is mostly a set up for Blakey who cranks out a fiery thundering solo that will lift spirits of the listener. Highlights are title track, "Shaky Jake", and Wayne Shorters arrangment of the standard "Moon River".

Players are Wayne Shorter, tenor sax; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Curtis fuller, Trombone; Cedar Walton, piano; Jymie Merrit, bass; and Buhaina himself on the drums. If you're just getting into the Messengers I highly reccomend starting out with more earlier stuff like "Jazz Messengers" for Columbia which includes Horace Silver, Mobley, Byrd, etc and "Moanin'" with Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons, etc.

Recorded in two sessions in late 1961, "Buhania's Delight" is another winning effort from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers that stands on par with "A Night in Tusnia," "Indestructible," and "Free For All." The usual lineup is here (Freddie Hubbard on Trumpet, Chris Fuller on trombone, Wayne Shorter on sax, Cedar Walton on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass) delivering expectedly smashing results that show why this band is a force of nature to be reckoned with. We get to a mellow start with the twin openers "Backstage Sally" and "Contemplation." If you stop there, then you miss the real fun that lies ahead. "Buhania's Delight" takes an aggressive turn with the upbeat "Bu's Delight," where the Messengers deliver the goods (Hubbard and Shorter, in particular, are true standouts) before Blakey tears up a mean solo at around the 3 minute mark that will turn heads. Other great numbers are the breezy "Shaky Jake" and a revved-up cover of the Henry Mancini piece "Moon River." Diehards also have the chance to compare the original recording to alternate takes of 4 tracks. "Buhania's Delight" is a sure knockout.

Art Blakey was like a holy guru to aspirant young jazz musicians, taking generations of young jazz talents through the ins and outs of jazz music with his various incarnations of The Jazz Messengers. Getting the chance to play with Blakey was like a young boxer getting the chance to train under Mohammed Ali in his prime. You knew you were going places when Blakey was leader.

The title track, shortened to "Bu's Delight", has some shuffling Blakey drum solos from about 3:25 onward. "Reincarnation Blues" is a fantastic cooperative effort with each performer contributing, Wayne Shorter standing out especially. This reissue is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Edition series, so it has been digitally remastered at 24-bits at high resolution by Van Gelder himself. Be sure not to miss out on this title and grab it during your next purchase here at Amazon! You'll thank me.

Personnel:

Art Blakey (drums)
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet)
Curtis Fuller (trombone)
Wayne Shorter (tenor sax)
Cedar Walton (piano)
Jymie Merritt (bass)

Producer: Alfred Lion
Label: Blue Note
Dates: November 28 & December 18, 1961
Location: Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Edition: Rudy Van Gelder Edition (24-bit digital remaster)

If you know nothing about a particular jazz CD but see Art Blakey on drums, you can bet it'll be a good one (you can say the same thing about Jimmy Cobb). This lineup features big names Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, and also well-regarded Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, and Jymie Merritt. The lineup's promising, and the songs are very solid. They seem pretty even to me, I don't want to name the best and worst songs, because my opinion is hardly set into stone. There are also bonus versions of four of the six songs. The original album at 40 minutes is a decent length. The thing that makes this a 4-star CD is that there aren't any GREAT songs, they're merely all good. If it had a song like "The Egyptian" or "Moanin'", it'd be a 5-star CD.