Home » Jazz Articles » My Blue Note Obsession » The Jazz Messengers: The Jazz Messengers at the Caf谷 Boh...

The Jazz Messengers: The Jazz Messengers at the Caf谷 Bohemia, Volumes 1 and 2 每 Blue Note 1507 and 1508

By Marc Davis
July 14, 2014
View read count

Is it possible for a band to be both legendary and underrated? The Jazz Messengers at the Caf谷 Bohemia makes that case.

Jazz fans know

The Jazz Messengers

" data-original-title="" title="">The Jazz Messengers is the definitive, go-to band for straight-ahead hard bop.

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey was both master drummer and master talent scout—the man who co-founded and sustained the celebrated group. For all his talents as a trailblazing harp bop drummer, Blakey's probably better known for discovering and nurturing several generations of jazz in the Messengers. It's a long, impressive list.

Fans may debate which incarnation of the Jazz Messengers was the best, but this 1955 ensemble is arguably both the best and the most underrated.

If you made a list of the most famous jazz trumpeters of all time—

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Armstrong,

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie,

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis,

Wynton Marsalis

trumpet
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Wynton Marsalis, etc.—you'd have to go pretty far down to find

Kenny Dorham

trumpet
1924 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Dorham. Ditto tenor saxophonist

Hank Mobley

saxophone, tenor
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Mobley. And yet both are among the best hard boppers ever, and they anchor this 1955 version of the Messengers.

Dorham is a fast, smooth trumpeter with a sound and style a lot like Gillespie's and

Clifford Brown

trumpet
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Brown's. Mobley could easily be the Charlie Parker of the tenor. This live session is hard proof.

Volume 1 features three originals by Dorham. "The Theme" is a ridiculous fast, triple-time bopper the features Blakey riding the rim and trying every other manner of clever time-keeping to push the tempo ever faster. Dorham, Mobley and pianist

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver solo marvelously. Dorham's second number, "Minor's Holiday," is another blisteringly paced bop piece. The CD's liner notes call this "one of Dorham's greatest performances," and that's not an exaggeration. It sings. Silver, on a slightly out-of-tune piano, is the essence of breathless speed and fluidity.

Volume 2 features three Mobley originals. The opener, "Sportin' Crowd," is another great toe-tapping bop vehicle with an inspiring Silver solo and great work from the horns. Mobley's "Avila & Tequila" is perhaps the most original piece from the live set, Afro-Cuban tinged drums and 12 minutes of serious cooking on horns. Mobley solos soulfully on the Gillespie standard "I Waited For You."

At the start of Volume 1, Blakey announces to the crowd that this will be "a little cooking session for Blue Note," featuring the "new star" Mobley and arranger Dorham. This is certainly their star turn and one of the best examples of hard bop ever recorded live. It belongs in every jazz collection.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Availability: Many copies on Amazon, new and used

Cost: Under $4 used

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Dave Holland＊s Prism at Copenhagen...
< Previous

Zurich Concert
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.