Moanin'

Moanin' is a jazz album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded in 1958 for the Blue Note label and released in 1959.

This article is about the Art Blakey album. For the Bobby Timmons song, see Moanin' (song). For the New York Rhythm Machine (John Hicks) album, see Moanin': Portrait of Art Blakey. For the Charles Mingus song, see Blues & Roots.
Moanin'
Studio album by
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
ReleasedJanuary 1959[1]
RecordedOctober 30, 1958
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Hackensack
GenreHard bop
Length40:26
50:20CD reissue
LabelBlue Note
BST 84003
ProducerAlfred Lion
Art Blakey chronology
Art Blakey Big Band
(1957)		 Moanin'
(1959)		 Drums Around the Corner
(1959)
The Jazz Messengers chronology
Hard Drive
(1957)		 Moanin'
(1958)		 1958 – Paris Olympia
(1958)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

Background

This was Blakey's first album for Blue Note in several years, after a period of recording for a number of different labels, and marked both a homecoming and a fresh start. Originally the LP was self-titled, but the instant popularity of the bluesy opening track "Moanin'" (by pianist Bobby Timmons) led to its becoming known by that title.

Music

The rest of the originals are by saxophonist Benny Golson (who was not with the Jazz Messengers for long, this being the only American album on which he is featured). "Are You Real?" is a propulsive 32-bar piece with a four-bar tag, featuring two-part writing for Golson and trumpeter Lee Morgan. "Along Came Betty" is a more lyrical, long-lined piece, almost serving as the album's ballad. "The Drum Thunder Suite" is a feature for Blakey, in three movements: "Drum Thunder"; "Cry a Blue Tear"; and "Harlem's Disciples". "Blues March" calls on the feeling of the New Orleans marching bands, and the album finishes on its only standard, an unusually brisk reading of "Come Rain or Come Shine". Of the originals on the album, all but the "Drum Thunder Suite" became staples of the Messengers book, even after Timmons and Golson were gone. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in his meticulous Hackensack studios, this recording reflects the hallmark precision associated with that engineer – on the 1999 CD reissue there is a brief conversation between Lee Morgan and Rudy Van Gelder going over Morgan's solo.

Reception

The album stands as one of the archetypal hard bop albums of the era, for the intensity of Blakey's drumming and the work of Morgan, Golson and Timmons, and for its combination of old-fashioned gospel and blues influences with a sophisticated modern jazz sensibility. The album was identified by jazz critic Scott Yanow as one of "17 Essential Hard Bop Recordings".[5] AllMusic gives it a five-star review, stating: "Moanin' includes some of the greatest music Blakey produced in the studio with arguably his very best band. ... ranks with the very best of Blakey and what modern jazz offered in the late '50s and beyond."[2]

Influence

A vocalese version of "Moanin'" was later written by Jon Hendricks, and recorded by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross,[6] as well as jazz vocalists Bill Henderson[7] and Karrin Allyson.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Benny Golson except where noted.

Original LP
  1. "Moanin'" (Bobby Timmons) – 9:35
  2. "Are You Real" – 4:50
  3. "Along Came Betty" – 6:12
  4. "The Drum Thunder Suite" – 7:33
  5. "Blues March" – 6:17
  6. "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) – 5:49

CD reissue
  1. Warm-up and dialogue between Lee Morgan and Rudy Van Gelder – 0:35
  2. "Moanin'" (Timmons) – 9:35
  3. "Are You Real" – 4:50
  4. "Along Came Betty" – 6:12
  5. "The Drum Thunder Suite" – 7:33
  6. "Blues March" – 6:17
  7. "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Arlen, Mercer) – 5:49
  8. "Moanin'" [Alternative Take] (Timmons) – 9:19

Personnel

References
  1. "Reviews and Ratings of New Jazz Albums", Billboard, January 19, 1959, p. 53.
  2. AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos.
  3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 25. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  5. Yanow, Scott. "hardbopz". www.scottyanow.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  6. "Moanin'". jazzleadsheets.com.
  7. "His Complete Vee-Jay Recordings, Vol. 1 [1993] - Bill Henderson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
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