Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers

Hi, Phasecorrect:

Funny that you mention Art Blakey -- I was just looking today at some of my old LP's that he did with the Jazz Messengers.

There are several of Blakey's recordings from the 1950's and 1960's that I like:
1. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (features Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, and Horace Silver on piano) (I think this LP has been re-issued on CD as part of the Columbia Legacy series -- look for the version that includes "Infra-Rae", "Nica's Dream", "Ecaroh", and 4 others)
2. Ugetsu
3. A Night in Tunisia

If I have to choose a favorite I think that I would pick The Freedom Rider. Art Blakey is one of my very favorites.

Had the pleasure of hearing Blakey toward the end of his career (around 1988-89 I think, at Fat Tuesdays in NYC). If I remember coreectly, Terrence Blanchard was on trumpet and Donald Harrison on Sax. Great man, great TEACHER! I was astonished at his physical conditioning...he was in his 70's and you would not have wanted to armwrestle him. All of his recordings mentioned above are wonderful, I hope each of you had the pleasure to see him live.