Jazz Music Reviews

Art Blakey

Art Blakey

The beginning career of jazz music legend Art Blakey was astonishing. He took piano lessons at school. When he was in the seventh grade he played music full - time and was leading a popular band. Not too long after, he started playing drums in the polish of such players as Ray Bauduc, Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. He taught himself how to play.
He played with Mary Lou Williams at Kelly's Stable in 1942. Next, with Fletcher Henderson for the next two senescence, further he toured with. Art then went to Boston to lead a big band, then joined Billy Eckstine's band in St. Louis. Art stayed with that band from 1944 - 1947.

Art was considered to represent among jazz music's finest musicians such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon. In 1947 when Eckstine's band broke up, Art started the Seventeen Messengers. He would go on to have several other groups hide this same head. He then went to Africa to take in all about Islamic humans for over a year. By the 1950's he performed with Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker further Horace Silver.

After they performed together many times, he started another group veil Horace which included Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley with the name Jazz Messengers. Horace lone a year later. He was the known pacesetter of the zone. The Jazz Messengers played hard - bop jazz music. The roots of which were blues music. Hard bop is a mixture of bebop with gospel and soul music. An paragon of this is his album Moanin' recorded on Blue Note Records prestige 1958. They fought hard to keep black people interested in jazz, when the ballroom jazz music disappeared. Many young musicians during the years have been influenced by this style. Jazz musicians such as Keith Jarrett, JoAnne Brackcen, Woody Shaw, Donald Byrd, Delfeayo, Branford also Wynton Marsalis.

In 1971 to 1972, Art heavenly body toured with the biggest names in jazz music such as Kai Winding, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. He also performed a lot at the Newport Jazz Festival. The best performance was when he was in a battling performance with Buddy Rich, Max Roach again Elvin Jones in 1974. Art continued to tour nonstop with help from Donald Harrison besides Terence Blanchard, along with younger musicians such as Benny Green.

Art never thought of his music as in agreement to African style, although he did use some of their techniques such as using his elbow on the tom - tom to sway nigrescent. His trademark, the forced closing of the hi - hat on each second and fourth beat was created money 1950 - 1951, which many jazz musicians copied.

A upper jazz musician and innovative in his drum style, he was unique and performed with power. The street he played was loud and aggressive. The jazz critics basically ignored what he did in the 1960's. American audiences left him behind in the 1970's when rock music took over the scene.

He always made time for young jazz musicians, listening to them, and helping them with their jazz music careers.