At the Jazz Corner of the World

Art Blakey, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 19, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005GXA
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,051 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smokin'!, December 3, 1999

By 

Brandon De Cordova (Somerville, N.J.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Jazz Corner of the World (Audio CD)

WARNING! THIS CD HAS ENOUGH RAW ENERGY TO INCREASE THE EARTHS ORBIT AND LIGHTEN THE FORCE OF GRAVITY IN A 30 FT. RADIUS OF YOUR STEREO.! well that might be a bit of hyperbole, but there are enough sparks generated here to power a small nuclear reactor. from beginning to end this album soars with intense solos from all, especially Morgan, who is barely 21 years old, but probably playing at the peak of the first stage of his career. Enough can't be said about the intensity of this album, which was recorded remarkably well for a live performance of that time (4/15/59). Highlights include a nine minute rendition of "The Theme" played at a more relaxed tempo. A lesser known Monk title, "Justice", which contains one of my favorite Lee Morgan solos of all time. An early version of Bobby Timmons' "Hi-Fly" and "Just Coolin'" a jazz waltz written by Mobley, one of his best early compositions in my lay-oppinion. If you're new to jazz, or the music of Art Blakey, this is great place to start your interest. Very accessable, hard-swinging music by the greatest hard-bop jazz group in history. Loud, fiery music!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would you buy a Cd just because of a trumpet solo?, August 3, 2000

By 

Andre Novaes de Rezende (Campinas, Sao Paulo Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Jazz Corner of the World (Audio CD)

Well, you might. This Cd is the best Jazz Messengers album I have ever heard since "A Night at Birdland vol.1&2" with Clifford, and the killer albuns "Moanin'" and "Paris 1958" with Lee Morgan. About the "solo" thing, (and about Clifford and Lee Morgan) this Cd has one of the best solos by Lee Morgan I have ever heard. I agree with the previous review: the solo on "Justice" is AWESOME!!! If you heard some tunes from the "Paris 1958" album (which is a Live album) you should know that Lee just explodes on live performances. This album "At The Jazz Corner vol 1&2" is also live and it includes TWO sessions of "smoking" Lee Morgan. By the way, you should also try the tune "Kiss and Run" on the Sonny Rollins "plus 4" album. Then you will hear one of the most inspired solos by Clifford Brown. If you are a Jazz Messenger FAN, GO FOR IT!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mobs Is the Man, April 22, 2006

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the Jazz Corner of the World (Audio CD)

This is the same group as the one on Art's best-selling "Moanin'" album with the exception of Hank Mobley, who replaces Benny Golson on tenor saxophone. It's Mobley's presence that makes all of the difference, so much so that I would rank this session with another two-fer recording at the same location, "Art Blakey at Birdland," which tries to complement the undeniable genius of Clifford Brown with the pedestrian playing of Lou Donaldson.

Previous reviewers have pointed out the brilliance of Lee Morgan's solo on "Justice" (Monk's "Evidence," renamed by Blakey for reasons that elude me), but listen to the strong follow-up on the same tune by Mobley. The drive, the ideas, the quote ("Sonny Boy"), and the passion all contribute to a stirring solo that simply picks up where Morgan left off. (The same Monk tune is featured, but with its more popular title, "Evidence," on a Bluebird CD of a slightly earlier session with Golson--"Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Paris, 1958." Morgan's solo, though completely different on this occasion, is equally inventive.)

As usual Mobley is a story-teller of the first order, making every phrase count (a striking contrast to the garrulous pyrotechnics of a Golson solo). The ensemble spirit, the announcements of Blakey and Pee Wee Marquette, the interaction among the musicians and crowd--this was another unrepeatable musical event that you won't want to be without. If there's a caveat, it's my personal aversion to some of the mixing choices made by recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder. He brings each player front and center but at the expense of ensemble "depth" and occasionally of individual tonal expressiveness. Mobley's sound is unnecessarily and uncharacteristically hard-edged and testosterone-soaked, making him sound harsh and even on the verge of distortion at times. Fortunately, I have enough other recordings by Mobley before, during, and after this one to know better.

[My thanks to a reader who explained the "Justice"/"Evidence" confusion. Monk wrote a tune based on the changes to "Just You, Just Me," so he called it "Just Us," which metamorphosed phonetically into "Justice," which in turn metamorphosed semantically into "Evidence." At least on this particular night, Art must have had a preference for the earlier title.]