Indestructible by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

22 May

Written by Mark Keresman
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Geez, just look at the cover: the work INDESTRUCTABLE rendered in watery-depths, queasy proto-psychedelic script, and an intense close-up of Blakey’s countenance, with a cancer stick hanging out the end of his mouth with a (to put it mildly) rather unforgiving expression on his face - definitely one of the classic Blue Note album covers. And the music it holds is perhaps the quintessential BN 1960s album. Before hearing this, this writer would’ve picked an album by Jackie McLean or maybe Andrew Hill as the primo/archetypical example of the music BN documented in the mid-1960s, but 1964’s Indestructible [Blakey's last for BN, ironically enough] is in some ways truly representative, capturing the nexus of BN sounds: moody modal, bluesy soul-jazz, blistering hard bop and the avant-garde all co-mingle here. The tunes - all Messengers originals - feature dark but immediate, engaging melody lines and sturdy, muscular grooves, flavored by gospel-inspired R&B/blues and featuring blistering solos that, while never going completely "out," twist ‘n’ strain at the tether of bebop. Morgan and Shorter breath fire, Fuller is the cooling but firm autumn wind, Walton provides pensive lyricism, Workman is the Heartbeat and Blakey, at the peak of his powers, is a Force of Nature. Hyperbole dept.: if you own "only" 10 Blue Note albums from their 1960-1967 glory days, this surely must be among them.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
CD Title: Indestructible
Genre: BeBop / Hard Bop
Year Released: 2003
Reissue Original Release: 1964
Record Label: Blue Note
Musicians: Blakey: drums; Wayne Shorter: tenor sax; Lee Morgan: trumpet; Curtis Fuller: trombone; Cedar Walton: piano; Reggie Workman: bass. Rec. in April & May 1964.
Label Website: http://www.bluenote.com
Rating: Five Stars