Art Blakey - Moanin'

The complete album + 2 bonus tracks - pressed on limited edition 180g vinyl. The formation heard here marks the third incarnation of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, which included trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons and bassist Jymie Merritt.

Benny Golson penned four of the songs from Moanin' and added several perennial compositions to the group's repertoire, among them the two bonus tracks on this edition, 'Whisper Not' and 'I Remember Clifford', the latter in memory of trumpeter Clifford Brown. Pianist Bobby Timmons contributed such hits of his own as the title track, 'Moanin'.

Moanin' includes some of the greatest music Blakey produced in the studio with arguably his very best band. Certainly a complete and wholly satisfying album, Moanin' ranks with the very best of Blakey and what modern jazz offered in the late '50s and beyond. - Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic