Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers
Witch Doctor (180gm analogue Tone Poet)
£39.99
Format: LP, Vinyl
Out of stock
‘The Witch Doctor’ was recorded on 14th March 1961 and released in 1967. It was the last album before Curtis Fuller joined. The line-up is Lee Morgan (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Jymie Merritt (bass) and Bobby Timmons (piano). The album starts with two Lee Morgan compositions. ‘The Witch Doctor’ is a slightly heavy, yet relaxed swinging Hard Bop. Merritt’s bass and Blakey’s percussive maelstrom meld wonderfully into a compelling groove. The interesting time signature on the introduction to ‘Afrique’ leads on to a solid Blakey Hard Bop number. The drummer’s solo is forceful displaying his normal belligerence, but also incorporates more subtle cymbal work. Wayne Shorter composed ‘Those Who Sit And Wait’ is a strong and strident Hard Bop tune with Merritt’s bold and deep bass central to the driving rhythm. Shorter’s solo is intensely fiery as is the contribution by Timmons. The interplay between the two horn players enhances a gorgeous melody line and the rhythm is absolute relentless. The stand out tune is Bobby Timmons’s ‘A Little Busy’. It is a perfect vehicle for Blakey’s muscular Afro-centric drumming. The horns harmonize to establish the main theme before the Blues inflected pianist delivers a scorching solo that gallops apace. The second Shorter piece ‘Joelle’ slows the tempo albeit marginally as it is still a brisk paced groove and the phrase ‘mainstream Jazz Messengers’ just about covers it. ‘Joelle’ is somewhat over shadowed by the brilliance that precedes and follows it. ‘Lost And Found, from the pen of Clifford Jordan, is a rousing slice of 60’s Jazz. The ensemble playing is of the highest order and all soloists perform to their maximum; it is a strident statement in an album that is full of them.
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