Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

by Alan Goldsher, Art Blakey

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers was one of the most enduring, popular, reliable and vital small bands in modern jazz history. Blakey was not only a distinguished, inventive and powerful drummer, but along with Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, he was one of jazz's foremost talent scouts. The musicians who flowed seamlessly in and out of this constantly evolving collective during its 36-year run were among the most important artists not just of their eras, but of any era. Though their respective innovations were vital to the evolution of bebop, hard bop and neo bop, the recorded work of the Messengers sidemen has never been properly analyzed. Until now. Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers critically examines the multitude of gifted artists who populated the many editions of the Jazz Messengers. In addition to dissecting the sidemen's most consequential work with Blakey's band, jazz musician and acclaimed novelist Alan Goldsher offers up engaging profiles of everyone from Wynton Marsalis to Terence Blanchard to Hank Mobley to Wayne Shorter to Horace Silver to Keith Jarrett to Curtis Fuller to Steve Davis. And that's only the beginning. Goldsher conducted over 30 interviews with surviving graduates of Blakey's Hard Bop Academy, many of whom spoke at length of their tenure with the legendary "Buhaina" for the first time. Alan Goldsher is a bassist who has recorded with Janet Jackson, Digable Planets, Cypress Hill and Naughty By Nature. His writing has been published in Bass Player, Tower Pulse, Sport and BasketBull: Chicago Bulls Magazine. Goldsher's debut novel, Jam, was published in 2002 by Permanent Press. He lives in Chicago. Hardcover.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Biography, Nonfiction

214 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2002

About the author

Alan Goldsher is the author of the acclaimed Beatles/horror remix novel, "Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion" and the forthcoming "The Sound of Music" mash-up "My Favorite Fangs: The Story of the von Trapp Family Vampires."

He has written nine other books, including "Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers" and "Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read." Written as A.M. Goldsher, his chicklit novels "The True Naomi Story," "Reality Check," "Today’s Special," and "No Ordinary Girl" were released by Little Black Dress Books in the U.K. and Marabout in France between 2008-2011.

As a ghostwriter, Alan has collaborated on projects with dozens of notable celebrities and public figures, including comics Kevin Pollak and Bernie Mac, jazz legend George Benson, athletes John Salley and Sarah Reinertsen, and director Tobe Hooper.

His music journalism has appeared in Bass Player and Guitar Player, and his sportswriting has been seen in ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, NBA.com, and ChicagoBulls.com. He also reviews books for Kirkus.

During his 10-plus years as a professional bassist, Goldsher recorded with Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, and Naughty by Nature; toured the world with Digable Planets; and performed at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

Alan lives and writes in Chicago. Visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com.

Reviews

[Bookcat88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read for jazz history buffs. Art Blakey was one of the finest and most highly acclaimed drummers of his time. He had a penchant for changing his lineup, bringing in new young players and schooling them in the business. Some of the greatest jazz musicians playing today were associated with Blakey. He was demanding of his musicians and hence some classic hard bop tunes were written by Jazz Messengers. This book is well researched, well written, and informative.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely fan material - not only is Goldsher an unabashed devotee of the group, with enthusiasm dripping from each profile, but he tried to jam in the kind of information that fans want: what cuts showcase each performer, what parts of their personalities can you hear, how did the eras flow from one to the next, how do you feel when the music is playing. And the book largely succeeds, not only giving short, succinct snapshots of each featured member, but using those testimonies to build a portrait of Blakey himself, which is the best conclusion of the book. It highlights Blakey as teacher and sage, dynamic musician and guiding figure for the training ground the group became. You get glimpses of further jazz context as well - the group's struggle with progression as jazz moved further 'out', the change in performers' backgrounds from hard cut, street-learned younglings to academically inclined, straight out of school performers, and the shades life lessons extracted on the way.

Where the book struggles is with scope - those contextual conclusions remain shades, and with so many performers highlighted, themes repeat and the vignette structures start to get stale. You can only hear 'he honored his predecessor, but brought his own flair to the music, while letting Blakey guide his journey' so many times before starting to glaze over looking for more engaging material. That doesn't limit the stories - if you are looking for a different way to listen to the Jazz Messengers, this is a cool way to do so - just be prepared for a solo that drags once the performer has made his point again and again.

[John Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a great concepts - instead of focusing on the leader of the Jazz Messengers, it discusses the sidemen that came through Art Blakey's band. Don't expect extreme depth - most musicians get 3-4 pages of coverage. Also, a big distraction is the language. It's the prose equivalent some horrible '90s commercial.
All that said, if a hallmark of a music makes you want to really delve in and listen to the music, this book accomplished that in spades.