Happy Birthday, Art Blakey

Jazz drummer Art Blakey (1919-1990) was born on October 11 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Blakey was one of the inventors of the bebop style of drumming. He was also the leader of one of the greatest jazz bands, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, which served as the developmental band for a large number of jazz musicians, including pianists Keith Jarrett and Cedar Walton, reed players Wayne Shorter and Benny Golson, trumpet players Clifford Brown and Wynton Marsalis, bassist Stanley Clarke, and many others.

Blakey's talents as a drummer are clear in this 1965 solo:

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Blakey's album, A Night in Birdland, Vol. 1 (Blue Note). (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)


Robert
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