Moanin' (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition)

"Moanin" was released by Blue Note Records in 1958 and features one of the best Jazz Messengers line-up jazz has ever witnessed: Benny Golson on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Benny Golson, who later would be replaced by a young Wayne Shorter, pinned two tunes on this recording: "Are You Real?" "The Drum Thunder Suite," "Blues March," and "Along Came Betty." Bobby Timmons, who later wrote "Dat Dere" for the 1960 album "The Big Beat," wrote the title track.

This is an outstanding album full of virtuosity, swing, pure emotion, and some of the best jazz drumming you ever heard. Highly recommended.

This is simply a fantastic CD. One of the hard bop classics. Pure soul. Sound is great too! All the tracks are just amazing - the playing is simply sublime. Can't lose with this one!

I purchased this album on a whim as you do sometimes sight unseen. Can't say that I had even heard of Art Blakey or the track Moanin'. Guess some jazz enthusiasts might shudder in horror at that admission. Never the less I put it on when I picked it up from the mail and had a listen. This is a fantastic recording and the music is smooth and classy from the start to the finish. I think that this album will become one of my favourite albums as it gets better each time I hear it.

I have always thought of Jazz as a part of music that always seemed tucked away in the underground. I mean, even though Musicians like Miles Davis and John Coltrane had sold millions of records, it still was without the help of FM radio play. I still believe this today, even though we have "light jazz" stations, they are nothing more then glorified elevator music. Art Blakey might not with the same populatiry of Coltrane and Davis, but he still wails, and believe me this guy in an amazing drummer. Its funny when you think of all the drummers from all different generes of music that have paved the way of rock of roll such as Neil Peart of Rush, Bonzo from Zepplin, Moon from The Who, and to the more underground drummers of Thrash/Death Metal such as Lombardo from Slayer, Flo Mourier from Cyrotopsy, and Ulrich from Metallica, but way before these drummers there were Jazz drummers who could tear the skin off the drum. Blakey is one of them. The Jazz Messengers are a tight knit group on their own, but if you are a fan of rock or metal, listen to what Blakey is doing. Sound Familer? I hear such influence epsically in Death Metal, because even though Metal uses alot of Double Bass (which Jazz typically avoids) the speed of jazz drummer is insane, sometimes even a bit faster with the way it swings then some of faster Death Metal band (does it suprise you that Flo Mourier of Cryotopsy, easily the best drummer in Death Metal, is trained with a jazz background) I cant stress enough that if you arent a jazz fan, then you should really be getting into this Music, and Blakey is a great place to start. You wont hear shredding guitar work and gutteral vocal here, but you will hear some great musical ablity that seemed light years ahead of its time. ENJOY

October 30, 1958. Those great days at the Rudy Van Gelder studio in his parents living room in Hackenack, New Jersey. This is ESSENTIAL JAZZ. So many people have given this a 5 star review, so I guess there isn't much more I can say about it. But Lee Morgan on trumpet and BENNY GOLSON on Tenor Sax will blow you away. Blakey of course is the KING as far as I'm concerned. I rarely missed the gigs he did at the Village Vanguard in the Seventies. Everyone plays better when Blakey is pushing them. Bobby Timmons is so great, and the great song "MOANIN'" by Timmons, really shines on here. 4 cuts written by Golson, the whole CD is up there with the greatest. This is ESSENTIAL jazz at its best.