The Koln Concert: Vinyl 2LP BF30 captures drummer Art Blakey leading

captures drummer Art Blakey leading a transitional edition of his Jazz Messengers

which collect up all the master takes and also include some live tracks from Carnegie Hall that — judging from the sometimes uneasy murmurings of the crowd — amply illustrate just how weirdly this mixture of bop lines against "legit" arrangements was perceived

and the great Billy Higgins on drums

a broadness of scope and intent that interests him most as a composer

The Long Day Is Over

The Koln Concert: Vinyl 2LP BF30 captures drummer Art Blakey leadingRecorded in 1975 at the Kln Opera House and released the same year, nothing on this program was considered before he sat down to play. All of the gestures, intricate droning harmonies, skittering and shimmering melodic lines, and whoops and sighs from the man are spontaneous. Although it was one continuous concert, the piece is divided into four sections, largely because it had to be divided for double LP. But from the moment Jarrett blushes his