Moanin
This is truly one of the great classics of hard bop, with drummer Art Blakey leading arguably his greatest Jazz Messengers lineup through a driving program that never lets up. Tenor saxophonistBenny Golson(whose composition "Along Came Betty" is heard here, subsequently becoming a jazz classic), brilliant trumpeterLee Morgan, and funky pianistBobby Timmons(who wrote the hit title cut) each take some of the best solos of their great careers, and Blakey was never greater. No jazz record collection should be without this disc. It remains one of the premier items in Blue Note's catalog, and rightfully so.--Skip Heller