Record Boy | Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers | The jazz has already begun before the sound even plays

I posted Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers on Instagram as my "record of the day."

There are some album covers that make you feel the pressure of the sound coming toward you before you've even dropped the needle.

I think this record by Art Blakey is exactly that kind of album.

It's intense but not chaotic, and it pushes forward without falling apart. Today, as a record boy, I'd like to re-experience this album.

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Good morning.
I'm Ryota, the record boy.

Today's record is Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

There are some records that change the atmosphere just by holding the jacket, and I think this one is a prime example.

A heavy color scheme based on black.

Art Blakey's face, looking as if it's piercing straight through you.

And the text stacked up on the right side.

The jazz has already begun before the sound even plays.

It's rare to find a jacket like this.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers is a representative hard bop group formed in the mid-1950s, centered around drummer Art Blakey.

Starting with members like Horace Silver, they shaped a hot, soulful, and forward-moving jazz that strongly incorporated the feel of gospel and blues.

Just hearing the term "hard bop" might make it sound a bit hardcore or difficult.

But I think the greatness of this group lies in the fact that while it has energy, it's also quite accessible.

The symbol of that is surely "Moanin’."

Recorded in 1958 and released in 1959, this album is known as a work that reached not only jazz fans but a much wider audience.

Songs like "Moanin'" and "Blues March" might have been heard somewhere even by people who don't listen to much jazz.

That is how powerful this album was.

The anecdote that even a soba delivery person in Japan was whistling "Moanin'" is a story that truly suits this work.

It didn't just stay within jazz cafes and critiques; it seeped into the very air of the city.

I think it is more than just a masterpiece; it is a record of the moment when jazz was widely shared.

Another amazing thing about this group is that it remained a gateway for young talent.

Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis.

In every era, players who would go on to carry the jazz world on their shoulders passed through this group.

The name Jazz Messengers was not just a band name, but in a sense, perhaps it was a mechanism for passing jazz itself on to the next generation.

Art Blakey was not just a leader who stood in the spotlight; he was someone who trained, ignited, and drove young talent.

That is precisely why there is always "heat" in the history of this group.

And at the center of that heat is, as expected, Art Blakey's drumming.

An intense driving force.

It feels like it is pushing the entire band from behind, yet it doesn't end with just being wild.

Including the famous nickname "Niagara Roll," his drumming has a sense where volume and momentum become the very skeleton of the music.

The number Blue Note 4003 marked on this record I hold is the catalog number for the timeless masterpiece "Moanin'." It is said that due to its hit, it was promoted to the album title.

It is a record that adorns the early 4000 series of Blue Note, and it is also a number that has been passed down as a symbol of hard bop.

For record lovers, this number alone might make their hearts beat a little faster.

Moreover, this album has a strong presence not just in its content, but as a physical record.

The original monaural first pressing is highly valued among collectors, and there is a world where even the differences in label markings and engravings are seriously scrutinized.

On the other hand, reissues and high-fidelity pressings are available now, which is a great thing because it allows people to experience the music in various ways.

It would be a waste to just put such a masterpiece on a pedestal.

I believe these are works that should be properly listened to again in the formats of each era.

Personally, when I think of this work, I am reminded of the manga 'Kids on the Slope'.

That work depicted jazz not as 'knowledge,' but as an 'impulse'.

You don't listen to it because it's difficult; you are drawn to it because it's cool.

You find yourself drawn to jazz because you want to clash sounds with someone else.

I think Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers has exactly that kind of strength as an entry point.

Jazz also has the beauty of structure.

It also has the depth of history.

But what comes first is probably not logic.

Wow, that's cool.

That's where it starts.

And this jacket has that 'where it starts' quality.

It has a face.

It has presence.

It has already begun before the sound starts.

That is truly powerful as a record.

Following Yoko Ono and Niagara Triangle, when I place this record on the shelf today, the scenery of the record boy leans a little toward the night.

But that night is not just dark.

It is a night with a core, with heat, and one that makes you straighten your back a little.

Today, it is Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

I would like to re-examine this not just as a jazz masterpiece, but as an album that proved jazz was 'music that reached a wide audience'.