Listening back to the tape he had just recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on March 8, 1959, Blue Note producer Alfred Lion didn't like what he heard. According to producer Michael Cuscuna, in Lions's recording logs and on one of the tape boxes, Lion wrote: "No Good. Do Not Issue." Which seems to be why he and Blakey decided to re-record most of the material at a live Birdland session five weeks later on April 15.
Which may have been the right call at the time and in the CD era but seems like an overly critical assessment today. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers were on fire. The music was tight and ferocious, with the horns—trumpeter Lee Morgan and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley—improvising on point. The rhythm section—pianist Bobby Timmons, bassist Jymie Merritt and Blakey on drums—were stirring the pot behind them with enormous energy. [Photo above of Art Blakey by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
If there was a flaw, it was Mobley squeaking in places, like a rubber sole getting caught momentarily on a polished marble floor. And there was a certain stiffness to the group. But that hardly matters now given the end result. It's a document in the band's history that deserves a hearing and to be compared with the Birdland sessions.[Photo above of Lee Morgan, left, and Hank Mobley by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
Astonishingly, the live results were indeed looser and better, and purer. There were fewer Mobley squawks, and sterling solos by Morgan, Mobley and Timmons not to mention Blakey. In the studio weeks earlier, most of the tracks had required double-digit takes. In front of an audience, the Jazz Messengers had loosened up and let go, nailing songs on first takes. You could hear it all flow naturally.
Lion decided to release the Birdland material on two LPs and named the volumes At the Jazz Corner of the World. As for the studio tape, the square box went up on the shelf, and there it sat for 61 years, until producer Zev Feldman recently decided it was worthy of release. Issued for the first time on Friday as Just Coolin' on Blue Note, the album can now be heard and appreciated in its own right.
Four songs recorded in the studio were performed live at Birdland—Mobley's Hipsippy Blues, Close Your Eyes, Mobley's Just Coolin' and his M&M. The balance—Jimerick (the composer is unknown) and Timmons's Quick Trick—were not previously released and appear here for the first time.
Lion made a business decision in 1959, going with the recording that stood the best chance of pulling in the most revenue. Back then, live recordings offered the listener more excitement, since you were taken down into Birdland and could hear what the group sounded like live. It had a "you are there" feel. Back then, Lion heard something in the Birdland tapes and felt the product he would eventually release could be fractionally better. Most people might not even hear the difference, but he could, and that's what made him special.
Listening to the studio album today, we hear that it has chops of a different kind. We're not faced with Lion's either/or decision but can appreciate both for different reasons. And Just Coolin' offers excitement and art that wouldn't have been possible live. What the album provides is an audio glimpse at exceptional musicians giving it their all late at night, after multiple takes, striving to deliver soulful perfection. And they deliver gloriously, with snap and love.
Kudus to Zev for hearing the value in this shelved album and for encouraging its release. It's fascinating to hear the Jazz Messengers in a formal studio setting and to compare the tracks with the ones on the Birdland release weeks later. Hearing the two back to back, you are put in Lion's shoes and must ask yourself what you would have done. I think Lion made the right call at the time. But so did Zev. [Photo above of Hank Mobley and Alfred Lion by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' Just Coolin' (Blue Note) on digital formats here and on vinyl here.
JazzWax clips: Here's M&M...
And here's Quick Trick...
