The Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Live in Paris (3CD)

Facts Art Blakey was among the most influential jazz drummers in the world, and his Jazz Messengers were a legendary band: you only have to look at the amazing number of great soloists it revealed in three decades (fifties to eighties.) This set contains live recordings the Messengers made in Paris on 13 May 1961 - it was the band's golden age, featuring such wonderful instrumentalists as Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter in it's ranks, notably playing titles like "Moanin'" and "Blues March". The music here is played at fever pitch by young musicians who groove like thunder; as a kind of transcription of Blakey's version of the hard bop revolution, it probably comes very close to perfection. The Live in Paris collection by Michel Brillié allows listeners to hear previously-unreleased recordings (made at concerts and private- or radio-sessions) by the great 20th stars in jazz, rock & roll and song. These "live" takes, and the artists' rapport with their audiences, gives these performances an additional soul and sensibility in counterpoint to the rigorous demands of studio recordings. Particular care was taken when restoring the sound of these tapes in order to meet CD standards while preserving the original colours of the period.