Art Blakey and Jazz Messengers - Heat Wave (1977) {Meldac Japan MECJ-30010 rel 1995}

These red hot live performances by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – recorded in 1977 in San Fransisco – are evidence that the hard-bop school of Blakey was alive and well in arguably the darkest time for the straight ahead jazz musicians. The "fusion" music was taking the attention – and audiences – away from this kind of music, and we had to wait a few more years before its resurgence and emergence of young lions such as Wynton and Branford Marsalis.

Blakey made a tremendous contribution to this music by taking young, talented musicians and handing down the knowledge and experience to them by playing together day after day, giving invaluable lessons that could never be taught at school. In this fiery session, Blakey encourages and pushes his disciples to lay it all out, and creates a heat wave that engulfs everyone, including the audience.

All the players involved are impressive, but most notable are the red hot Bobby Watson on alto sax and the relatively cool but very effective George Cables on piano. This is a rare, significant document of Art Blakey and his group in 1977.

Produced by Makoto Kimata and Todd Barkan. Recorded live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco in June 1977.

Personnel
Art Blakey (drums)
Bobby Watson (alto sax)
David Schnitter (tenor sax)
Valery Ponomarev (trumpet)
George Cables (piano)
Dennis Irwin (bass)

Track Listing
01 - Moanin'
02 - Jody
03 - Along Came Betty
04 - Autumn Leaves
05 - Blues March
06 - Round About Midnight