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Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy: Legacy Alive, Volume 6 at the Side Door

By Mike Jurkovic
May 27, 2019
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Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy: Legacy Alive, Volume 6 at the Side Door

Recorded loud and live at the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT,

Ralph Peterson

drums
1962 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Peterson—the last drummer to play side-by-side with the incomparable

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey—delivers an unstoppable two-disc hyperdrive swing-fest celebration of his mentor with Legacy Alive, Volume 6 at the Side Door.

It's no deep state secret that Blakey, with his effortless and effusive glee, seamlessly bridged all of jazz's thrilling variants: '40's swing and blues; the nascent bop and hard bop of the '50s to the soaring, exploratory avant-garde of the '60's.

Fletcher Henderson

arranger
1897 - 1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Fletcher Henderson,

Chick Webb

drums
1905 - 1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Webb and

Mary Lou Williams

piano
1910 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Lou Williams to

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk and

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner, Blakey drove them all with his relentless spirit and snapping snare.

So, to mark Blakey's centennial year and his own 57th, Peterson, his rhythmic intuitions and understandings of Blakey fully engaged, presents his frothy sextet: saxophonists

Bill Pierce

saxophone, tenor
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Pierce on tenor and

Bobby Watson

saxophone, alto
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Watson on alto, trumpeter

Brian Lynch

trumpet
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Lynch, bassist

Essiet Essiet

bass
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Essiet Essiet, and pianist

Geoffrey Keezer

keyboards
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Geoffrey Keezer and a raucous, eleven-song set of smoking tunes long associated with Blakey and any version of his Jazz Messengers.

Peterson, Keezer, and Essiet blow the Side Door open with "A La Mode," and the momentum—fiery, free, frenetic—never lets up. Watson, himself a Blakey alum, contributes "Wheel Within A Wheel," a rolling hard-bop blazer that sets the stage for

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard's "The Core," a real showcase for the horns.

And the hits keep coming! Rollicking takes of "3 Blind Mice,"

Benny Golson

saxophone, tenor
1929 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Golson's signature "Blues March" and "Along Came Betty,"

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter's fervent "Children of the Night" and a set-closing jump-romp of

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington's "Caravan" serve to prove the fact that, on any given night, in any given club with the right combo, greatness can be heard.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

A La Mode; Wheel Within a Wheel; The Core; My One and Only Love; 3 Blind Mice; Blues March; In Case You Missed It; Along Came Betty; Children of the Night; That Old Feeling; Caravan.

Personnel

Ralph Peterson

drums

Ralph Peterson: drums; Bobby Watson: saxophone; Bill Pierce: saxophone, Brian Lynch: trumpet; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; Essiet Essiet: bass.

Album information

Title: Legacy Alive, Volume 6 at the Side Door | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Onyx Music Label

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