Customer Reviews

S Make It

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most highly anticipated reissues from the files of
drummaster Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers has finally been
released on CD. From the scarcity of its initial circulation,
the best advice is to get this one now, before it prematurely
disappears once more.

Even if the initial circulation released a flood of copies,
this is a particular slice of Bu that you'll want to own. S'
MAKE IT is a landmark album from a Jazz unit known for many
great landmark recordings. Spanning the gamut from Gospel
boogaloo and mean street stroll to searching balladry and
soulful tango, 'S MAKE IT is an outstanding album of rich
composition, sterling improvisation, arrangements worthy
of orchestras, and the explosively dynamic swing that
Brother Blakey is renowned for.

Coming out in late 1964, this album features a brief but
poignant edition of the Jazz Messengers. Blazing trumpeter
Lee Morgan and ever-strudy trombonist Curtis Fuller are
the veterans from those classic Blakey bands of the 1950s
and 1960s. Here, they are joined by clutch bassist Victor
Sproles, the dynamic pianistry of John Hicks, and Sun Ra's
own John Gilmore fueling the fire on tenor saxophone.
To say that S' MAKE IT features a powerful and unique Art
Blakey unit would be an understatement. From starting boil
to simmering climax, this is one soild cooker with plenty
in the pot!

'S MAKE IT is Jazz for the ages. Jamming on the one, and
sophisticated as you please, here is Music smooth to the
groove, and strong on the move. Be on time, straight on
the case, and make this, please.

Art Blakey never disappoints, and this album is as good as it gets. Every song has a strong drive to it and I can't think of a jazz album that strikes me as having more of a sense of fun.

The compositions here take front seat to improvisation, which isn't to say there isn't first rate improv going on as well. Curtis Fuller's trombone work, especially, is first rate. Prior to this album I'd have say I didn't like trombone solos - they often sound a little stiff and awkward. Not from Mr. Fuller!

The only problem with this album is that this is the only release with this lineup (including, unless I am mistaken, live releases) so there's nowhere else to go to find more.

A rag-tag bunch of Messengers. Sub-par selection of tunes, minimally rehearsed. Blakey is in a bad mood (as the notes reveal) lamenting others' commercial success at his expense. In this remastered version, Hicks and Gilmore are mixed at such a low level that they are barely audible. Very poor engineering.

I've listend two or three times to this CD. Initial reactions? There's a role reversal of sorts. Unlike many other Jazz Messengers CDs, this one gives more solo space to trombone than to the tenor sax. And I was anticipating some interesting interplay between Lee Morgan and John Gilmore. But it's not there. Gilmore isn't much of a presence at all on this date.

This CD feels like a session without much rehearsal time; a version of the Jazz Messengers either just getting to know each other, or recording in spite of knowing that the musicians just aren't clicking on all eight-cylinders.

I'll listen to this again. Maybe there's something I'm missing.