If you could have only have one Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers disc, it absolutely must be Moanin'. This 1958 Blue Note date is the cream of the early Messengers' studio sessions. The group of this period featured the wailing Lee Morgan (trumpet), the swinging Benny Golson (sax), and the soulful Bobby Timmons (piano), with longtime bassist Jymie Merritt by Blakey's side. All of the pieces fell into place here to create one of the most hard-swinging, blues-inflected records in jazz history. Timmons' classic title cut sets the pace as its laid-back call-and-response chorus and swinging bridge will get into your soul and start your head bobbing. Golson's bouncing "Are You Real" and the subtle "Along Came Betty" feature that golden Messengers ensemble sound that can't be matched as Blakey drives his men mercilessly. The most dynamic tracks, of course, are the drum feature "The Drum Thunder Suite," a Blakey tour de force, and the powerful "Blues March" featuring Blakey's signature shuffle groove. A delightful reading of the standard "Come Rain or Come Shine" caps it all off. This is arguably the quintessential Blakey disc.|

Rovi