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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

Group

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

From
United States
Active
1954–1990
Rating
★ 3.5 (2 votes)
Releases
166
  • jazz
  • hard bop
  • afro-jazz
  • bebop
  • afro-cuban jazz

About

The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo which existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and only ended when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the outset. "Art Blakey" and "Jazz Messengers" became synonymous over the years, though Blakey did lead non-Messenger recording sessions and played as a sideman for other groups throughout his career.

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"Yes sir, I'm gonna to stay with the youngsters. When these get too old, I'm gonna get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active."
The group evolved into a proving ground for young jazz talent. While veterans occasionally re-appeared in the group, by and large, each iteration of the Messengers included a lineup of new young players. Having the Messengers on one's resume was a rite of passage in the jazz world, and conveyed immediate bona fides.
Many former members of the Jazz Messengers established careers as solo musicians, such as Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Hank Mobley, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Keith Jarrett, Joanne Brackeen, Woody Shaw, Chuck Mangione, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison and Mulgrew Miller. Some members, such as bassist Clarence Seay and Gregory Charles Royal, are documented to have played in the Jazz Messengers but did not record with the group.

From The Jazz Messengers on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Discography

Albums 84

Showing 60 of 84. See them all on MusicBrainz

EPs 3
Singles 1
Live 42
Compilations 32
Other 4

Links

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Concerts

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Reference

Also known as

Art Blakely And The Jazz Messengers · Art Blakely and His Jazz Messengers · Art Blakey & The Jazz Messenge · Art Blakey & The Messengers · Art Blakey And His Jazz Messengers · Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers · Art Blakey and The Jazz Messen · Art Blakey and the Messangers · Art Blakey and the Messengers · Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers · Art Blakey's Messengers · Jazz Messengers · The Jazz Messengers

Identifiers

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 7 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.