The Armpit Collection XIX: Free For All

Art Blakey is like, really black. Not just in color. He's largely credited with surging jazz ahead with the good-time attitude it had attained in the early part of the 20th Century, as well as playing toward the sentiments of some defectors who were intrigued by rhythm & blues and turned off by bebop. Thus, hard bop, which in my humble opinion is a breeding ground for all things that are entertaining and interesting about music. It combines pace with creativity.

It was difficult to pick a Blakey record and it's very likely this won't be the last you see of him. His band, the Jazz Messengers, is widely recognized as THE proving ground for jazz musicians. What makes Free For All interesting to me is the presence of both Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard, extremely gifted artists in their own right. Blakey had many incredible bands though. This record is possibly the best instance where Blakey was able to instigate the more ridiculous and creative aspects of his younger talent. If you can imagine him as that overtly strong kid on the playground who keeps spinning the little merry-go-round faster and harder, all the while laughing.

Blakey being a drummer, it was quite an honor to rise to composition or musical director in his bands. There's only four tracks on this record, but the two that took the wind outta me are "Free for All" (Shorter) and "The Core" (Hubbard). Right around the 9 minute mark in "Free for All" Blakely goes nuts, pulls out two machine guns and destroys his kit. It sounds as if he's laughing right there to the end. And what an intro to a record! Then, the creepy bass intro to "The Core," from which the song never recovers. The horns beg to cut loose from the hypnotic horn blasts, like a horse itching to break free from it's caravan. This is a type of song that summons great things, you hear it as heroes walk towards victory and it chokes up the Mighty. I urge you to download these two tracks. They are genius.