Hard Bop Academy
To call Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers a "hard bop academy" is no  exaggeration. From 1954 to the leader's death in 1990, the  Messengers were a staple in an ever-changing jazz universe. Many  of the great practitioners of this style cut their teeth in the  band, including Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, and  Wynton Marsalis. Drawing on more than 30 interviews, as well as  secondary sources, Goldsher, a bassist and writer, presents us  with a fan's view of the hard bop sidemen organized  chronologically by instrument. While the interviews offer  insight into the workings of the band, some eras are not covered  in as much detail as they deserve, e.g., the late 1960s through  the mid-1970s. And though the writing is fairly lucid and  engaging, ultimately, more could have been said. Many of the  musicians featured here have been profiled in jazz magazines  like Down Beat and Cadence, but this is the first book dedicated  to the Messengers. Recommended with some reservation to jazz  collections in public and academic libraries.Ronald S. Russ,  Arkansas State Univ. Lib., BeebeCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.