ART BLAKEY — Free For All (review)

ART BLAKEY — Free For All album cover Album · 1964 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
darkprinceofjazz
Power!That is the best way to describe this fantastic, driving hard bop release from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, in fact, listening to this music, one can hear a few times, where the recording equipment can barely handle whats being played, some slight distortion here and there, The title track "Free for All" is the hard driving back bone of the album, A track that comes as close as Blakey ever got to free jazz, The nearly 10 minute "The Core" almost captures the same power, Tenor Saxophonist Wayne Shorter composed the title track and the second track "Hammer Head" a nice straight ahead blues groove number that evens out the enormous power of the album, The sets closer "Pensativa" a Clare Fischer number brings the session to a mellow close with a rhythmic feel reminiscent of Benny Golson's "Whispser Not". As great as Blakey's drumming and Shorter's compositions are, Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard really stands out, His pompous brassy tone, and Coltrane influenced runs,"one of the first trumpeters to be influenced by the Saxophonist", Hubbard proves here why he was so highly regarded. Free for all is easily one of the best Blakey albums, and should be in any jazz collection.

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