Origins On December 17, 1947, Blakey led a group known as "Art Blakey's Messengers" in his first recording session as a leader, for
Blue Note Records. The records were released as 78s at the time and two of the songs were released on the
New Sounds 10" LP compilation (BLP 5010). This octet included
Kenny Dorham, Howard Bowe,
Sahib Shihab,
Musa Kaleem, Ernest Thompson,
Walter Bishop Jr., and LaVerne Barker. In 1956 Dorham left the band to go out on his own and was replaced by
Donald Byrd. This group released
The Jazz Messengers on
Columbia Records. Later in the year, the original group disbanded, but Blakey retained the Jazz Messengers name for his future groups.
The "Second" Messengers (1956–58) For a brief period in 1956 Donald Byrd stayed on as a new lineup was formed. It included
Kenny Drew,
Wilbur Ware, and
Ira Sullivan playing tenor sax rather than his main instrument, trumpet. The only recording of this version of the Messengers was two tracks backing up singer
Rita Reys on
The Cool Voice of Rita Reys on Columbia. Blakey then formed a new lineup that would prove to be much more stable. The most notable name, at the time, was
Jackie McLean. He was only 25, but had already recorded with
Miles Davis and
Charles Mingus.
Bill Hardman,
Sam Dockery and
Jimmy "Spanky" DeBrest complete the group. They recorded another record for
Columbia:
Hard Bop—still under the collective's moniker The Jazz Messengers. They went on to record for several different labels including RCA subsidiary
Vik Records,
Pacific Jazz,
Elektra,
Cadet,
Jubilee,
Bethlehem and a date on
Atlantic featuring
Thelonious Monk. Over this time the band's name evolved to include Blakey's name, starting with "The Jazz Messengers, featuring Art Blakey" on
Ritual, then "Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers" on several records, and also "Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers" on
Cu-Bop.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1959–64) In 1958, Blakey formed a new lineup with four Philadelphia natives:
Lee Morgan,
Benny Golson,
Bobby Timmons, and
Jymie Merritt. This marked the beginning of perhaps the most fruitful period of the Jazz Messengers. They returned to
Blue Note and the first record—entitled simply
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers—produced their biggest hit: "
Moanin'". It featured two more songs which would become Messengers classics, and jazz classics as well: "
Blues March" and "Along Came Betty" by Benny Golson. Golson left the band in 1959 after a European tour (which produced live albums and a film soundtrack on
Fontana Records and French
RCA) to be replaced, briefly, by
Hank Mobley. Mobley did not accompany the band to a Canadian jazz festival in 1959; Lee Morgan encountered
Wayne Shorter at the festival, and he joined the band in Mobley's place. This lineup produced several notable recordings, including the second Messenger album,
A Night in Tunisia. In 1961 the group expanded to a sextet with the addition of
Curtis Fuller. This lineup produced
a self-titled album for
Impulse! Records. At the end of that summer, Lee Morgan and
Bobby Timmons left and were replaced by
Freddie Hubbard and
Cedar Walton respectively. This lineup recorded
Three Blind Mice for
United Artists and two albums for Blue Note:
Mosaic and ''
Buhaina's Delight''. In mid-1962
Reggie Workman replaced long-time double bassist
Jymie Merritt, who wanted to settle down in Philadelphia. This version of the group produced three albums for
Riverside:
Caravan,
Ugetsu, and
Kyoto; in addition to another
Blue Note under the name
Free for All. This lineup stayed together until March 1964, when Lee Morgan rejoined in place of Freddie Hubbard. Around this time—the recording date is unknown—the band produced an album from the musical
Golden Boy for the
Colpix label with an expanded lineup. This lineup included both Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan on trumpet, plus
Charles Davis,
Julius Watkins, and
Bill Barber. In April 1964, the Jazz Messengers produced their final, new, recording for the Blue Note label:
Indestructible.
The "New" Messengers (1964–66) In September 1964, Wayne Shorter left the Messengers to join the
Miles Davis band that was later called the
Second Great Quintet. Lee Morgan enlisted long-time
Sun Ra tenor saxophonist
John Gilmore to fill in—though it was understood he would return to Sun Ra after a time. Gilmore brought along fellow
Arkestra member
Victor Sproles and
John Hicks joined on
piano. The edition of the Messengers would see more quick turnover of members than the previous. The band signed with
Quincy Jones' new
Mercury sub-label
Limelight Records. This group—still including Curtis Fuller on trombone—recorded the first album for the label: ''
'S Make It. The band soon reverted to a quintet as Fuller departed. Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz replaced the departing John Gilmore and this quintet—with Freddie Hubbard sitting in alongside Morgan—recorded Soul Finger'' for Limelight. By January 1966, the band had completely turned over again. Now
Chuck Mangione occupied the trumpet chair with
Frank Mitchell on tenor sax,
Keith Jarrett on piano and
Reggie Johnson on bass. This lineup produced the live album
Buttercorn Lady under the moniker
Art Blakey and the "New" Jazz Messengers. While the band continued to perform live, this would be the final Jazz Messengers recording of the decade.
The Fallow Decade (1966–76) The late 1960s saw the ascendance of rock music in popular culture, and the jazz world was experimenting with
free jazz and
jazz fusion, styles Blakey did not care for. It was difficult for Blakey to maintain a steady lineup for the Messengers, during this period, and even more difficult to produce recordings. Between 1966 and 1972, the Messengers produced only a single official record: ''
Jazz Messengers '70'', a live date in
Tokyo. This particular lineup included Bill Hardman,
Carlos Garnett,
Joanne Brackeen and
Jan Arnet. Blakey kept the Messengers working during this period—particularly abroad in Europe and Japan where they maintained their popularity. But the lineups were fluid, with several musicians rotating through based on who was available for the particular engagement. In various combinations, between 1966 and 1972 the band included trumpet players
Woody Shaw and
Randy Brecker in addition to Hardman; saxophonists Garnett, Mitchell,
Billy Harper and
Ramon Morris; and trombonists
Slide Hampton and
Julian Priester. The piano chair saw the greatest turnover. After Jarrett, pianists included
Mike Nock,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Chick Corea,
McCoy Tyner,
Ronnie Mathews,
George Cables,
Joanne Brackeen,
Albert Dailey, plus occasionally veterans John Hicks, Cedar Walton, and
Walter Davis Jr. Bassists included
Juni Booth,
Buster Williams, Larry Evans,
Scotty Holt, Arnet, and
Mickey Bass. In 1972 the Messengers were signed to
Prestige Records and produced three albums. ''
Child's Dance'' featured pieces from two recording sessions on 1972, with different, expanded, and somewhat overlapping lineups. The regular Messengers on the album were Woody Shaw; Ramon Morris; John Hicks, Walter Davis Jr. and
George Cables on both acoustic and electric pianos; and Mickey Bass. The band was augmented by
Buddy Terry (soprano sax), Manny Boyd (flute), Michael Howard (guitar),
Stanley Clarke (electric bass), and percussionists Nathaniel Bettis, Sonny Morgan, Pablo Landrum, Emmanuel Rahim and Ray Mantilla for different tunes across the two sessions. In 1973, a regular lineup of Woody Shaw, newcomer
Carter Jefferson, Cedar Walton, and Mickey Bass recorded two more
Prestige albums:
Anthenagin and
Buhaina.
Conga player Tony Waters appears on
Anthenagin and trombonist
Steve Turre appears on
Buhaina. Blakey struggled to keep the band going the next three years. Only one recording—a 1975 collaboration with
Sonny Stitt called
In Walked Sonny on the Swedish
Sonet label—was produced between 1973 and 1976. That album included long time trumpet stalwart Bill Hardman again occupying the trumpet chair.
David Schnitter was now on tenor sax and would stay with the Messengers for some time to come. Walter Davis Jr. was back on piano, and the new bassist was
Isao Suzuki. The Messengers were still popular in Japan, and travelled there annually. Hardman and Schnitter were constants throughout this period. Pianists also included Albert Dailey and
Mickey Tucker and bassists after Suzuki included
Cameron Brown and
Chris Amberger.
Messengers rejuvenation (1976–90) In 1976, the Messengers recorded a record for
Roulette –
Backgammon—featuring Hardman, Schnitter, Dailey and Suzuki. In that year Blakey began a professional relationship with
Wim Wigt, a Dutch music booker and owner of the
Timeless label. Wigt booked the Messengers throughout Europe. A second record for Roulette followed, featuring Schnitter,
Walter Davis Jr. and newcomers
Valery Ponomarev,
Bobby Watson, and
Dennis Irwin. From this point the lineups began to stabilize as the band worked more regularly. In October 1977, Blakey hired a new, regular, pianist:
James Williams. This group (Ponomarev, Watson, Schnitter, Willams and Irwin) recorded
In My Prime Vol. 1 in November 1977 for Wigt's Timeless label. In 1978 they recorded
In This Korner for
Concord Jazz and
In My Prime Vol. 2 and
Reflections in Blue for Timeless. In February 1979, they recorded the third Messengers album entitled
Night in Tunisia for
Philips. In November 1979 they recorded
One by One, a live album in
Italy, for the Italian
Palcoscenico label. In 1979, Blakey decided to assemble an 11-piece "big band" to take on a European tour in 1980. This band was unique in that it included two sets of brothers:
Wynton and
Branford Marsalis and
Robin and
Kevin Eubanks, and that the group had the first guitarist that Blakey ever hired,
Bobby Broom. The young musicians were cultivated by playing in the smaller Jazz Messengers combo around New York City through 1979. Broom left the group before the 1980 tour. These would be Ponomarev's last appearances with the Messengers. While
Watson and Williams continued with the Messengers, David Schnitter was replaced by
Bill Pierce and
Dennis Irwin was replaced by
Charles Fambrough. This band also featured a second drummer: John Ramsay.
Live at Montreux and Northsea by the Jazz Messengers Big Band was recorded at the Northsea and Montreux Jazz Festivals by Timeless. The regular working sextet that emerged from this European tour now included Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Bill Pierce, James Williams and Charles Fambrough. This group produced
Art Blakey in Sweden on the
Amigo label,
Album of the Year on Timeless and
Straight Ahead on the Concord Jazz imprint—all in early 1981. When Branford Marsalis graduated from the
Berklee College of Music in 1981, he joined his brother in place of Bobby Watson.
Donald Brown replaced James Williams at this time as well. In January 1982 this lineup produced
Keystone 3, the third live album recorded by the band at
Keystone Korner in
San Francisco. Wynton Marsalis' star was rising quickly. He and his brother Branford left to form their own band in early 1982. Due to Donald Brown's struggles with arthritis, he left the band at this time as well. The new lineup was
Terence Blanchard and
Donald Harrison on the front line, and
Johnny O'Neal on piano, joining Pierce and Fambrough. This lineup recorded
Oh-By the Way for Timeless in 1982. The band turned over gradually over the next year. Pierce left to begin teaching at Berklee in September 1982. He was replaced by
Jean Toussaint. Fambrough left in mid-1983 to be replaced by
Lonnie Plaxico. And
Mulgrew Miller took over for
Johnny O'Neal in 1984. This new lineup – Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Toussaint, Miller, and Plaxico—stayed together throughout 1985, into 1986. They recorded
New York Scene in 1984 and ''
Live at Kimball's'' in 1985, both for Concord Jazz. A live date from
Ronnie Scott's in
London also appeared. Blanchard and
Harrison formed their own band in mid-1986. They were replaced by
Wallace Roney and
Kenny Garrett, respectively.
Tim Williams was also added on
trombone. This group recorded the
Feeling Good album for
Delos. By the end of 1987 the band had turned over once again.
Philip Harper was the new
trumpet player,
Javon Jackson joined on tenor, and
Robin Eubanks returned on trombone. The new pianist was
Benny Green and
Peter Washington was the bassist. This lineup recorded
Not Yet and
I Get a Kick Out of Bu (with
Leon Dorsey replacing
Washington on bass), both for
Soul Note in 1988. In 1989, what became the final Jazz Messengers lineup was established:
Brian Lynch on trumpet,
Javon Jackson and
Dale Barlow on tenors,
Steve Davis and/or
Frank Lacy on trombone,
Geoff Keezer on piano and
Essiet Okon Essiet on bass. This final group recorded the final Messengers album,
One for All (1990), on
A&M Records. In October 1989, the group played a special concert at the
Leverkusen Jazz Festival in Germany to celebrate Blakey's 70th birthday with many invited guests, including Freddie Hubbard, Terence Blanchard,
Donald Harrison,
Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr.,
Buster Williams and
Roy Haynes, with
Michele Hendricks singing a song composed for the occasion by Horace Silver. ==Discography==