Roots & Herbs

THIS IS ONE GREAT BAND.

Relaxing smooth

Art Blakey & the jazz messengers must have made a gazillion albums (he died in 1990 at the ripe old age of 90). I have many of them, & I have never been disappointed.You won't recognize any of these tunes (I'm a jazz musician & I didn't) but what difference does it make? Over the years the Messengers usually had a guest artist with them. Guys like Phil Woods, Wayne Shorter, Paul Desmond; & the list goes on.Ilost my liner notes but the trumpet player here sounds a lot like Lee Moregan who composed "The Sidewinder," which every jazz musician will recognize.On a tune called "united" art shows off his drumming capabilities magnificently.On "Look at the Bride" there is a gorgeous tenor solo.What more can you say about Art Blakey & rhe Jazz Messengers that hasn't been said before?Highly recommended

In 1960 and early 1961, Art Blakey and this classic edition of The Messengers recorded an unheard of eight sessions, seven of them in the studio and one live at the jazz club Birdland. With the CD Reissue of "Roots And Herbs," all of these sessions except the live two volume set "Meet You At The Jazz Corner Of The World" have been made available on disc. (Don't confuse this with the 1959 session currently available as a two-fer with a similar title). The 60-61 Jazz Messengers edition -- Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merritt -- are arguably that historic band's greatest version, and without a doubt one of the great jazz groups in history. "Roots And Herbs" collects songs from three sessions in 1961, and every tune's a scorcher, with "Ping Pong," "The Back Sliders" and "United" leading the charge. The CD also includes three alternate tracks, and it should be mentioned that Walter Davis Jr. replaces Timmons on a couple of tracks, the only lineup change for all those aforementioned eight sessions. If you love classic hard driving bop meets great soul jazz, then "Roots And Herbs" is for you.

When Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers still enjoyed their ride on the top of the jazz charts and on the world stage they have once again deeply electrified listeners with there next hit album from 1961 for Blue Note Records which found them highlighting a sparkling mixture of hard hitting audio attack, stark virtuosity, energetic force, outstanding band camaraderie and maximum overdrive done to exact timing. First released under the apt title Pisces in 1961 and re-released as Roots And Herbs in 1970, this hard bop classic bring up a nerve-wracking round of razzle-dazzle integrity, artistic dynamite, extreme ‘Let’s Tear This Place Apart’ exhilaration and absolute velocity that make it a highly explosive work of art that will blow you away. Featuring great compositions penned by tenor saxophonist- composer Wayne Shorter, this electrifying track set include Ping Pong, The Back Sliders, Look At The Birdie, United and even the fast forward-driven title track as they showcased another important chapter in Shorter’s composing skills all done in absolute breathtaking time. With the tracks composed by Wayne Shorter, who Blakey have discovered during a Canadian exposition in 1959 when Shorter was in Maynard Ferguson’s Orchestra and was about to make a name for himself on the jazz scene, Shorter would contribute roughly some of The Jazz Messengers’ classic hits from 1960 to 1963. For jazz fans and connoisseurs of the music who want to hear jazz played in the steadfast Play It Loud mode, Roots And Herbs is another unique must that still sounds just as stunningly exhilarating as ever.

"Roots & Herbs" is the last recording by this particular edition of the Jazz Messengers, with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Art Blakey pushing everyone from behind the drum set. Walter Davis Jr. replaces Timmons on a couple of tunes. Typically "A Night in Tunisia" and "The Big Beat," the earlier albums by this group, get more attention, but this one in particular is very intriguing in that all of the material is contributed by Wayne Shorter, at the time a new composing sensation who would go on to be possibly the greatest composer in the history of American music (insert debate here). One of Shorter's gifts, evident for the first time here, is his ability to write appropriately for the particular stylistic situation, while extrapolating and exploring in such a way that his sound is unique. This man wrote THE best post-bop for Miles later in the decade, some of the best fusion for Weather Report, and some of the most in-the-pocket yet interesting hard bop while he was with the Jazz Messengers. This album is really the first that shows that versatility, since the program is varied, stylistically correct, yet with the brilliant Wayne Shorter touch that characterizes his later work. "Ping Pong" in particular is one of his catchiest, most interesting tunes of this or any time period.Aside from being a great composer, Shorter is a great player, and he plays well on this album. Something about the chemistry between Shorter and Lee Morgan, the playful kind of dueling while totally complementing each other, is different than what Wayne had with any other trumpet player, even Miles (although that musical pairing was something else altogether). Blakey is not prominently featured, at least in the way he might be on other albums, but his drumming was the driving force of the band and it shapes the music here to a great extent. Jymie Merritt is one of the most in-the-pocket, grooving bass players to ever play jazz, and he is in fine form here. The only potential complaint is the presence of Walter Davis Jr. on two tunes; something about his playing, especially in comparison to Bobby Timmons's playing, seems repetitive and uninspired. But it is negligible and "Roots & Herbs" is a great, underrecognized Messengers album of the period, which draws on the jazz tradition but has the Wayne Shorter dose of spice to keep things interesting. Highly recommended and accessible to anyone who likes jazz.