Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers - Best Of The Columbia & Rca / Vik Years 1956-1959 - CD

Two CDs. Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers were the greatest incubator of talent the jazz world has ever known, and the late-'50s were arguably the outfit's most fertile period, as Blakey led not one, not two, not three, but four aggregations that spawned the next generation of jazz superstars. While Blakey recorded for a number of labels during that period, his sessions for the Columbia and RCA/Vik labels formed the core of his repertoire along with his Blue Note sides, and this 17-track set throws in six rare live performances in France (led by Blakey's impossibly polyrhythmic playing, the Jazz Messengers were one of the greatest live bands in jazz history) to create an crucial document of the era. Compiled and annotated by Grammy Award-winning jazz record producer/executive/archivist/historian Richard Seidel, remastered at Maria Triana at Battery Studios, and featuring prime period photos, The Best of the Columbia & RCA/Vik Years (1956-1959) represents an essential addition to the Art Blakey discography.