Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers' Free for All was recorded in February 1964 and released in July 1965. Only four tracks were recorded, two per side. And yet the album is one of the hard-bop group's finest and most ambitious works. The band is firing on all cylinders.
The lineup in 1964 featured Blakey on drums, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Cedar Walton on piano and Reggie Workman on bass. The energy and articulation here is extraordinary so many years later. The first two songs—Free for All and Hammer Head are by Shorter, The Core is by Hubbard, and Pensativa is by Clare Fischer, a change-up on the album that Hubbard had suggested.
As Nat Hentoff wrote in the original liner notes:
"What makes this set distinctive is that on the night of the session, Blakey was in a more galvanic state than he has been on any of his previous Blue Note dates, as memorable as many of them are. It was, in sum, one of those times when everything was fused for unbridled action and emotion. Spurred by Blakey's firebolts, the other musicians rose to a collective—as well as individual—intensity, which makes this a remarkable series of performances."
The thrashing quality of the music and the expression is both celebratory and furious, which makes for an interesting combination. Considering this was recorded in February 1964, the musicians were powered by art and by the socio-political events swirling around them at the time. The March on Washington had taken place in August 1963, civil rights leaders had met with President Johnson in January 1964, sits-ins at "whites only" restaurants had begun, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 wouldn't be enacted until July and the Voting Rights Act wouldn't be enacted until 1965. For black artists, there was plenty of anxiety and tension over the news unfolding on television each night, and emotions and expectations were pitched.
In fact, Hubbard's The Core was dedicated to CORE—the Congress of Racial Equality—and its efforts to inform and mobilize black youth. As Hubbard told Nat: "That's where the center of change is." Even the album's title sends a message.
Ultimately, this album is a snapshot in time, a moment when the Jazz Messengers were at their peak, hungry to perform their very best, eager to show their exceptionalism and motivated by the evolving world around them. All of that energy was channeled, charged, twisted, snapped and released on an exceptional recording in February 1964.
As for the Messengers' brand of jazz, all of that fire began at the creative center—Blakey's sticks. As Nat continued in his notes:
"Several years ago, in an interview with British journalist Les Tomkins, Art Blakey emphasized: 'No jazz band is any better than its drummer. If the band is better than the drummer, then it's not a jazz band. He puts everything together there and keeps things rolling. This is what I was taught by Chick Webb and by my predecessors, and I think they're proven to be right."
And how.
For another of my favorite Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers albums, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers' Free for All (Blue Note) here or on all major streaming platforms.
JazzWax clips: Here's the title track...
And here's Pensativa...
