Art Blakey (1919–1990) was the Pittsburgh-born drummer and bandleader whose Jazz Messengers, formed in 1954, ran as hard bop's finishing school for nearly four decades — Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, and Wynton Marsalis all came through. Moanin' (1958) is the essential first stop. Browse Art Blakey vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Arthur Blakey was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 11, 1919 and died in New York on October 16, 1990. He worked in the bands of Mary Lou Williams, Fletcher Henderson, and Billy Eckstine before becoming a central figure on the New York hard bop scene of the 1950s. In 1954 he co-founded the Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver, and after Silver's departure in 1956, Blakey led successive editions of the group until his death. The Jazz Messengers became one of jazz's most important developmental ensembles, with Blakey often called the school of hard bop.
Blakey's drumming was foundational in defining the hard bop style, combining bebop's harmonic and melodic sophistication with the rhythmic intensity and blues feeling of gospel and R&B traditions. His ride cymbal work, press rolls, and pickups behind soloists are widely studied. As a bandleader, he was known for selecting and developing young musicians who went on to lead the next generation of jazz.
Original Blue Note pressings of Blakey's late-1950s and early-1960s catalog are among the most sought-after items in jazz collecting. Multiple reissue programs (Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Blue Note Tone Poet, Music Matters) have issued audiophile reissues of the Blakey catalog.
Listeners new to Art Blakey typically start with Moanin' (1958), one of the defining hard bop albums. A Night in Tunisia (1960) is a common second entry point.
