Album Review: Art Blakey Quintet's 'A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1'

• The energy of the live show is captured on this crisp, clear recording.
• Features stellar playing by trumpeter Clifford Brown, whose recording career lasted only four years.
• Each musician is inspired to play at his best on this classic album.

• This is very picky: all three fast swing tunes are basically the same tempo.

• Features performances by Art Blakey and Horace Silver that defined the hard bop style.
• A reissue of one of the earliest released live jazz recordings.
• A document of the origin of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, one of the essential groups in jazz history.

The Art Blakey Quintet's A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 is one of the most famous recordings of the early Art Blakey groups. The funky, soulful playing is what defined the hard bop style of the 1950s and 60s. Blakey, Horace Silver, and a quintet of varied members would go on to bill themselves as the Jazz Messengers, which became one of the core groups of jazz for decades. The group acted as a launch pad for such notable musicians as Kenny Dorham, Wayne Shorter, and others.

This energy-filled 1954 performance features inspired performances by all of the musicians, but the playing of Silver and trumpeter Clifford Brown stand out the most. Silver's bluesy approach revolutionized small group jazz playing, adding a jaunty swagger that was absent in bebop and other previous styles of jazz.

Clifford Brown's playing is nearly flawless, and his melodies and rhythmic ideas never cease to excite. The ballad "Once in a While" displays his sheer musicality as he alternates between lyrical phrases and darting double-time passages. Two years after this recording he died tragically in a car accident, limiting his recording career to four years. This album is an important document of his highly influential work.

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