Search - Art Blakey :: New York Scene

Thirty years after forming the Messengers, hard bop's preeminent unit, Art Blakey hadn't let up a bit in his pursuit of fresh and invigorating jazz talent. His 1984 assemblage boasts trumpeter Terence Blanchard, alto Donald Harrison, and pianist Mulgrew Miller, each of whom would become leading figures of the genre in the 1990s. Blanchard blisters through his own snaking "Oh, By the Way" and softly purrs through the ballad "Tenderly." Miller contributes "Falafel" and showcases his fertility on the ballad medley, while Harrison sets the pace on his furious "Controversy." Blakey, meanwhile, isn't merely riding the coattails of his young stars: he goads and shoves and nudges from behind the kit, masterfully controlling the intensity level as if he were simply turning a knob. --Marc Greilsamer