TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Few groups shaped modern jazz like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Formed in the 1950s, the Messengers became the heartbeat of hard bop—soulful, blues-driven, always swinging.
Blakey’s thunderous drumming powered the band, but his genius was as a mentor.
The Messengers served as a finishing school for jazz greats: Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis—the list goes on.
Their recordings still shine. Moanin’ with Lee Morgan and Benny Golson remains a hard bop anthem. Free for All shows the group at its most explosive. Wayne Shorter’s Ping Pong and Freddie Hubbard’s Crisis highlight their creative energy. And Wynton Marsalis stands out on Album of the Year, proving the legacy continues.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.