Customer Reviews

At the Jazz Corner of the World

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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!

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!!!

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.]

This is Blakey hot, live and cooking... and with Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley right up front...
I think its particularly interesting because in my opinion, of all the great frontmen Blakey assembled, this was my favorite line-up... in many ways were of the same school (hard bop), yet on the other hand were very different... Morgan, for example had a bit of Dizzy Gillespie old school bop in him... Mobley bopped and swung, but also took advantage in a different way... as a horn section they're really tight and powerful, and blacked by Blakey's unique "time keeping" + backbeat style drumming adapted to the context of modern Jazz, they're cooking. Jymie Merritt's bass playing is up on - - Bobby Timmons is... well, Bobby Timmons - - bluesy, Monkish at times, but a very fluent cooker and born with a left hand comp that really gave the Blakey sound the Blakey sound (what more can I say...?) -- last but definitely not least, Blakey's having a good time, though I don't quite get the high hat thing on "Justice" - -but heck...all the other tunes make up for it... and also its a live recording... bands take time to warm up... CLOSE YOUR EYES is the point in the performance where the band is really full gear and the band is tightest and most together... in the groove yet stretched out... of course, emcee PeeWee Marquette is also an important part of the show and demonstrates that there was once a time when Jazz was music to move to and get people excited, not BGM for checking your blackberry and texting. - - The first set climaxes with Just Coolin', which is one of the best Blakey vehicles of the set (the interplay in the beginning, and his trade mark high hat wap and chick-a-chee swing with the explosive press roll on the turn around and those distinct accents he used to do to push the soloist without losing the groove that NO ONE could like him...

Vol. 2 is even hotter and brighter, starting with the bouncy St. Thomas-ish rhythm change Chicken' and Dumplins...
and climaxing with the intense minor key Art's Revelation, a vehicle for a "Caravan" like solo for him to show off his solos and rhythms (unlike Buddy Rich, Blakey albums were about the overall ensemble that Blakey shaped in his image, not Blakey's solos, but Blakey solos were always delightful nonetheless and proved why they called him The Volcano!)

All in all, imagine if you could go back in time to the '50s and catch Blakey in his prime at a hot smokey Jazz club in NYC... imagine... imagine... now listen... (note - - since then they've banned smoking... what next? Whiskey... and Fried Chicken? Come on... Jazz was better when the musicians lived dangerously... and this music represents that long lost hip edge !

For those interested in an easy introduction to Modern Jazz, this classic can hardly be topped. The late Art Blakey, who became famous for finding and molding young talent, demonstrates how it is done in this, one of his earlier versions of that exercise. Here, Art with Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Bobby Timmons, Jyme Merritt create a mini master piece in the Blues tradition. My favorites are "Hipsippy Blues" and "Close Your Eyes." But there are no bad tunes here.

Even those who are not Jazz enthusiasts cannot fail to be captivated by these seminal Jazz/Blues tunes. Five Stars.

This is my favorite Art Blakey album, and one of my favorite Blue Note albums. The energy is incredible, and the solos are superb. The fact that it is a live album just makes it that much more impressive. As mentioned in a previous review, the recording quality is amazing. Rudy Van Gelder's use of 1959 portable technology rivals, if not surpasses, any contemporary jazz recording I've heard. One memorable moment is during Hipsippy Blues (4:25) when Blakey yells "blow your horn" as encouragement to Morgan as his solo starts heating up. Worth it just for the eleven minute rendition of "Close Your Eyes" which opens with Lee Morgan's invitation to "leave your worldly troubles behind, and come in here and swing."

what muscian ship .Its good to hear the jazz messengers like they are in front of you,great songs and sounds