Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin' (Blue Note Essentials Series)

Art Blakey is more than just a giant of the jazz drums. He is a hard bop legend, a unique and innovative bandleader and the heart of one of the most prolific periods in music history. He is also a generous mentor who, after founding the collective group The Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver in the early 1950s, encouraged the development of talented young musicians such as trumpeters Clifford Brown and Donald Byrd, pianist Chick Corea and even saxophonist Wayne Shorter.

Of all the albums recorded by this indispensable formation, "Moanin'" is undoubtedly the most emblematic of a sonority that became the matrix of modern jazz. From the themes Benny Golson and Lee Morgan play together, Bobby Timmons' "churchy" piano, Jymie Merritt's cat-like bass lines and Art Blakey's drums that sound as big as an entire orchestra and the constant swing of his cymbals, it is more than the sound of a large group, but the true essence of the golden era of jazz.

More than any other album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, 1958's "Moanin'" - on which the legendary drummer is joined by trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons and bassist Jymie Merritt - represented the perfection of the band's bluesy, soulful sound and is still considered perhaps the essential hard bop recording of all time. Originally titled with the band's name, the album was later renamed "Moanin'" due to the popularity of Timmons' unforgettable opening track. The album also featured several defining Golson compositions that became standards of the jazz repertoire, including "Along Came Betty" and "Blues March".

Blue Note Essentials: The label's LP classics at uncompromisingly good value for the first time, without compromising on flawless production. 140g optimal pressing from the hi-res master, single sleeve