Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

Moanin' Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

Widely regarded as one of the finest jazz albums

ever, Moanin' was the first LP by the third formation

of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, showcasing

trumpeter Lee Morgan, saxophonist Benny Golson,

pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt.

Morgan (1938-1972) was only 20-years old at the

time the Jazz Messengers recorded Moanin', and

his recording debut with Blakey had occurred the

previous year. Benny Golson (90 years-old at this

writing) wrote four of the songs from the album.

Bobby Timmons stayed with Blakey from 1958 to

1961 and participated on some of the best Jazz

Messengers recordings, also contributing such hits

of his own as the title track, "Moanin'". Timmons

died young due to cirrhosis of the liver in 1974, at

age 38. Originally released just with the group's

name on the cover, due to the increasing popularity

of the opening track, later editions were titled after

that song, which became a standard.

ART BLAKEY, drums & leader

LEE MORGAN, trumpet

BENNY GOLSON, tenor sax

BOBBY TIMMONS, piano

JYMIE MERRITT, bass

Hackensack, New Jersey, October 30, 1958.

Original session recorded by Rudy Van Gelder &

produced by Alfred Lion.

*BONUS TRACKS:

Same personnel. Live at L'Olympia, Paris, France,

November 22 (B4) & December 17 (A4), 1958.