Six great jazz artists will play tribute to their mentor, Art Blakey, at the Hopkins Center stage this evening.
Saxophonist Benny Golson will lead Terence Blanchard (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (Trombone), Geoff Keezer (Piano), Peter Washington (Bass) and Lewis Nash (Drums), all former members of The Jazz Messengers.
The Jazz Messengers, guided by Blakey, has evolved with its genre for more than 50 years and has included many now-famous talents such as Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter and Horace Silver. Blakey, one of the group's original members, was known not only for his skill as a drummer but for his ability to mold and inspire other musicians.
"A fire-breathing founding father of jazz drumming" according to Jazz Times, Blakey toured with the Giants of Jazz ( Dizzy Gillespie, Kai Winding, Sonny Stitt, Thelonious Monk and Al McKibbon) and played with Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones.
Through extensive travel in Africa, Blakey absorbed many African techniques into his style which added to his powerful sound. Associated with the hard-bop group of the 1950s, Blakey is known for his domineering playing and climaxing snare drum rolls.
The musicians who will honor Blakey have impressive reputations in their own right. The New York Times called lead sax and director Golson "one of jazz's more important composers for the last half century" and said that "his solos were lessons in how to phrase."
Golson began his professional career in the 1950s in New York, playing with such greats as Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman and Dizzy Gillespie. When Golson joined The Jazz Messengers, the group recorded some of his most famous compositions like "Are You Real?" and "Along Came Betty," pieces which have become standard jazz repertoire.
Golson left The Jazz Messengers to form the Jazztet, another group that played an important part in jazz history, and later composed for other musicians from Ella Fitzgerald to Sammy Davis and Peggy Lee. Golson's composition's for movies and television shows including "MASH," "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Mission: Impossible" have also won him acclaim.
Trumpeter Blanchard also used The Jazz Messengers to start an amazing musical career that spanned many genres. Blanchard began as a trumpet soloist for small film scores and went on quickly to composing and conducting scores for large orchestras. He has written music for Spike Lee's films including "Malcolm X" and "Clockers," as well as for such features as "Sugar Hill" and "Eve's Bayou."
Fuller brought the trombone into the spotlight in jazz history, and his term with The Jazz Messengers in the early 1960s also includes many important recordings. Fuller also recorded the famous Blues Train with John Coltrane and numerous other pieces with jazz greats from Quincy Jones to Count Basie and Wayne Shorter.
Fuller now shares his talents as a faculty member at the New England Conservatory in Boston and has worked as an artist in residence at Rutgers and Duke Universities among others.
One of the youngest members of the group, Keezer brings tremendous classical and jazz talent to the stage. Keezer began playing at age three, and at 18, with numerous honors already attached to his name, he left the Berklee School of Music to join Blakey's group.
Keezer has recorded with Blakey himself as well as on his own in CDs including World Music and Other Spheres. He tours the world with a five piano group of former Blakey students and continues to be recruited to play with the top musicians both jazz and classical across the country.
Another young musician, Washington majored in English at the University of California at Berkeley before leaving to freelance with jazz musicians around the country. Washington joined Blakey's group in 1986 for two years and then moved on to record with Golson, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hutcherson and many other famous artists.
Nash, the only performer who is not a veteran of Blakey's group, brings his own unique heritage of jazz music to the stage. By the time he was 21, Nash was already the top drummer in his home town, Phoenix, Ariz. He left Arizona to perform in the trio of vocalist Betty Carter and later with jazz bassist Ron Carter, featured in such recordings as the Grammy-winning "Look What I Got."
Nash also provided the rhythm for Branford Marsalis and for trombonist J.J. Johnson's band. He also had the opportunity to work with Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Art Farmer. He now records with the Tommy Flanagan Trio and many other young artists.
Golson, with the Herbert Barret Management and the Art Blakey Estate, gathered this impressive collection of musicians to represent the legacy of Blakey. The group plans to tour and change members in order to include more of the fine artists molded by Blakey over his career.
