Search - Art Blakey :: Night in Tunisia

Bow down and worship Art Blakey

W. A. Norris | Redmond, WA United States | 03/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title track is very possibly the hottest smoking jazz you will ever hear in your life. You will be flat-out amazed that there's only one man playing the drums--Blakey sounds like a percussion ensemble all on his own. If you like jazz that can really tear the roof off, you must own this CD."

A classic jazz recording that stands the test of time

Todd Ebert | Long Beach California | 06/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was not until listening to the title track of this recording (as well as John Coltrane's "Live at Birdland" which featured Sir Elvin Jones) that I understood that the creation of spatial polyrhythmic dimensions with percussion did not begin with Ginger Baker (or any other rock drummer) but rather with Jones and Art Blakey. Before this I assumed that most jazz drummers were simply there to mark time for the brass section. But drummers like Blakey, Jones, and even Max Roach were laying the foundations of what people would later call "hard rock". In the case of Blakey, the term given was "hard bop", but labels aside his drumming on this recording shows how a drummer can have voice without taking away from melody and rhythm.The other blessings of this recording are the strong compositons and performances provided by Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan. Tunes like "Sincerely Diana", "Yama", and "Kozo's Waltz" are previews of the future greatness of these two horn players. Blakey also put out another release of "Night in Tunisia" with a later ensemble back in the eighties, of which I also highly recommend."

Worthy disc ALL the way through...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 04/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose I am just a bit perverse, but despite the fame of the title track here, I like the other six tunes better. The Dizzy Gillespie classic "Tunisia" has some shrill passages during its wild 11-minute ride which aren't my cup of tea, but really it is just a minor annoyance. Most of that song is great, and the other 40 minutes of music comes off as beautiful to my ears. There are two versions of a Wayne Shorter composition called "Sincerely Diana" placed back-to-back here, yet for 14 minutes total one is not bored nor do they sound that much like the same piece. Two tunes by Lee Morgan, "Yama" and "Kozo's Waltz" are quite interesting. So is the Bobby Timmons number, "So Tired." (Timmons is credited with the creation of "Moanin'" which appears on several Blakey albums, and is probably the single most famous tune ever laid down by The Jazz Messengers.) The CD ends with the old standard "When Your Lover Has Gone" and it provides a fitting and mellow exit on a release which starts off with the jumping, wailing, drumming-like-a-genius "Night in Tunisia." I can recall being tempted to buy this on LP when it first came out. I was 15, and too scared of hot jazz by black men to pay [the money] for it. I probably bought the new Kingston Trio folk record instead, or something by Johnny Cash. Now, 43 years later, I finally have this in my player, and I'm glad. This quintet makes complex, happy music which rewards repeated and attentive listening. Blakey kept recording for 30 more years with varied but always talented "Messengers." I have a copy of his final release, "One for All" issued in 1990 on the A&M label. That's also good, but not quite as memorable as "Tunisia" or the original "Moanin'" album. Unfortunately, the 1990 farewell CD is not available via Amazon. So get this one, instead, or "Moanin'" if you want to hear Blakey at his best."