Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Live at Jazz Workshop 1970

[JSngry]

Looks like a pickup group. I've heard myriad tales of Blakey not having enough work during this time to keep a regular band, but this is the most blatant example of that. 

Still - Blakey got the gig, and Blakey brought a band. Blakey wins. 

[Dan Gould]

3 hours ago, barnaba.siegel said:

I've read reviews on Discogs, some people writing about really raw sound, so I guess it's a "no" for me. And I guess Gearbox had chosen the best stuff for LP, so the downloadable content could be even "more raw".

According to this site (https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/art-blakey/live-at-jazz-workshop-1970(live)), the tracks and credits are as following:
 

Tracklist

Side-A
1. Autumn in New York
2. Falling in Love with Love
3. Just in Time
Side-B
1. Round About Midnight
2. East of the Sun (and West Of The Moon)

Digital edition track list:
1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. The Theme v.1
3. Wee Dot v.1
4. Round About Midnight
5. The Theme v.2
6. Con Alma
7. Daahoud
8. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
9. A Night In Tunisia
10. It's Only A Paper Moon
11. Autumn In New York
12. Falling In Love With Love
13. Just In Time
14. The Theme v.3
15. Wee Dot v.2
16. East Of The Sun (and West Of The Moon)

Line-up/Musicians

Art Blakey; drums
Andy Bey; piano, vocals
Ramon Morris; tenor saxophone
Isao Suzuki; double bass
Junior Cook; soprano saxophone (track B2)

 

My interest was predicated on Junior Cook playing tenor and not appearing on one track while playing soprano (did he ever record elsewhere on soprano?). So it's a definite no for me.

[Brad]

Someone on Hoffman wrote that they’re used to rough sound (lo fi, as he called it) but to him this was no fi. 

[sidewinder]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

Someone on Hoffman wrote that they’re used to rough sound (lo fi, as he called it) but to him this was no fi. 

I wouldn’t agree with that - the LP is quite listenable.

[jazzcorner]

On 2/17/2023 at 10:09 AM, Gheorghe said:

...........................

the real comeback of Art Blakey started from the late 70´s on, that band with Valery Ponomarev, Dave Schnitter, Bobby Watson, Dennis Irving and James Williams brought him back to top booking.....

Yes that was a great group. We had a private concert in our club at Koblenz (Germany) and it was a tremendous evening for me ans all others.

 

 

[sidewinder]

On 4/23/2023 at 9:11 PM, Dan Gould said:

Please report if the download is lossless or MP3.

Just checked the QR code and it accesses folders with both WAV and MP3 formats.

[sidewinder]

Now downloading the bonus material to play from a USB stick. An initial sample of 'It's Only A Paper Moon' has (a fiery and pretty far out) Ramon Morris featured again plus some nice Andy Bey on piano. Listening to this music, I don't think Blakey is exactly at his sharpest but heck, it's Blakey. Sound quality on the WAV files seems to be comparable to the vinyl tracks and on the basis of the sample, music is of comparable quality. A welcome release which fills in some gaps, in my view. 

On 4/26/2023 at 10:24 AM, jazzcorner said:

Yes that was a great group. We had a private concert in our club at Koblenz (Germany) and it was a tremendous evening for me ans all others.

 

 

That would be the same band that I saw at Ronnie's - first Blakey performance I ever caught, in late 1979 I think. Good to be reminded of the lineup.

Edited April 27, 2023 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Updated to add that all bonus tracks now loaded into the streamer. The audio sounds fine to me - any comment of 'no fi' on the Hoffman Board is total BS.

[Dub Modal]

1 minute ago, sidewinder said:

 any comment of 'no fi' on the Hoffman Board is total BS.

As usual. 👍

[sidewinder]

1 minute ago, Dub Modal said:

As usual. 👍

Yeah. It certainly isn’t studio hi-fi a la Blue Note but for a live location recording, sounds pretty good to me.

This LP with the bonus tracks seems to me to be a nice RSD ‘offering’.

Edited April 27, 2023 by sidewinder

[Niko]

Is there any additional Junior Cook in the bonus material?

[sidewinder]

9 minutes ago, Niko said:

Is there any additional Junior Cook in the bonus material?

Not sure - there’s no indication of his presence on any of the bonus tracks.

Assuming it is Ramon Morris on tenor on the bonus stuff, he is heavily featured. Andy Bey pretty well sticks to piano on these tracks. Plus, there’s also a great workout for Blakey on the bonus ‘Tunisia’ where he throws the kitchen sink at it - a real highlight track.

The club ‘live’ atmosphere is also captured really well. It would have been a good gig to attend in person.

Edited April 27, 2023 by sidewinder

[tranemonk]

I just don't get why so much live material is ONLY available by buying vinyl.

[djcavanagh]

On 4/26/2023 at 8:27 PM, sidewinder said:

Just checked the QR code and it accesses folders with both WAV and MP3 formats.

Bob - does the download include the music on the LP itself, or is it only the bonus material?

[Rooster_Ties]

1 hour ago, tranemonk said:

I just don't get why so much live material is ONLY available by buying vinyl.

I know. It’s utterly maddening.

[Eric]

3 hours ago, tranemonk said:

I just don't get why so much live material is ONLY available by buying vinyl.

And limited edition, hard to find vinyl at that.

[sidewinder]

5 hours ago, djcavanagh said:

Bob - does the download include the music on the LP itself, or is it only the bonus material?

Just the bonus material I think.

[mikeweil]

Note about the lo-fi on the albums (found on discogs):

Edited April 28, 2023 by mikeweil

[mjazzg]

52 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

Note about the lo-fi on the albums (found on discogs):

I love the "we feel it is our obligation to make it available", sounds so altruistic doesn't it? At a nice RSD premium, they forgot that bit. Who do they think they're kidding

[Rooster_Ties]

15 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Just the bonus material I think.

Might have been nice to have included *everything* — the LP’s too — in the download.  But no, apparently.

I’ve had it with LP-only releases, and — to date, anyway — I refuse to buy them.

There’s a NICE 5-sided 3LP) live Nathan Davis from a couple years back that I would have LOVED to have gotten on CD. But no, LP only (for like $70, iirc — or more, iirc). Phooey on that.

I’m not paying 2.5x what a good 2CD version of that Nathan Davis thing would have cost — for a format that’s a lot more of a hassle for me to deal with. Not gonna do it.

[sidewinder]

48 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Might have been nice to have included *everything* — the LP’s too — in the download.  But no, apparently.

I’ve had it with LP-only releases, and — to date, anyway — I refuse to buy them.

There’s a NICE 5-sided 3LP) live Nathan Davis from a couple years back that I would have LOVED to have gotten on CD. But no, LP only (for like $70, iirc — or more, iirc). Phooey on that.

I’m not paying 2.5x what a good 2CD version of that Nathan Davis thing would have cost — for a format that’s a lot more of a hassle for me to deal with. Not gonna do it.

Maybe if there is enough demand, Gearbox might put this out on multiple CDs. They have done archival CD issues in the past e.g. the Buddy Rich ‘Just In Time’.

Interested parties might want to email them.

[Brad]

21 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Might have been nice to have included *everything* — the LP’s too — in the download.  But no, apparently.

I’ve had it with LP-only releases, and — to date, anyway — I refuse to buy them.

There’s a NICE 5-sided 3LP) live Nathan Davis from a couple years back that I would have LOVED to have gotten on CD. But no, LP only (for like $70, iirc — or more, iirc). Phooey on that.

I’m not paying 2.5x what a good 2CD version of that Nathan Davis thing would have cost — for a format that’s a lot more of a hassle for me to deal with. Not gonna do it.

I assume you’re referring to the Sam Records ORTF recordings. If so, no CD or Digital is planned. 

[Rooster_Ties]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

I assume you’re referring to the Sam Records ORTF recordings. If so, no CD or Digital is planned. 

Yeah, that’s the one. LP only. The online samples I’ve heard sound really wonderful. Would have made an excellent 2cd set — which I would have gladly paid $25 for (maybe even $28).

Looks like the price has come down a hair from what I remember a couple years ago — but it still has a list price of $60, and The Bastards seem to have it now for $53 brand new.  WHICH, is about double what it would have cost on CD (or fairly close, anyway).

(Hell, I might have even gone $30 or $32 for it on CD, like if it was an import and there was no other way.)

Edited April 29, 2023 by Rooster_Ties

[mjazzg]

I paid £65 for that Davis and haven't regretted it at all

[Daniel A]

I think we are spoiled. How much was a CD 30 years ago? $16.99? Considering the inflation that would probably be more than twice as much in today's money. $35. For one CD.