Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - In My Prime

Art Blakey (1919–1990) actually needs little introduction, the American Jazz drummer and bandleader made a name for himself in the 1940s & 1950s playing with contemporaries such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He is often considered to have been Thelonious Monk's most empathetic drummer (he played on both Monk’s first recording session in 1947 and his final one in 1971). In the decades that followed Blakey recorded for all THE labels that mattered in the field of jazz (Columbia, Blue Note, Atlantic, RCA, Impulse!, Riverside, Prestige, Verve, etc.). His collaborations were numerous and include working with equally legendary artists such as Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Chet Baker, John Coltrane….and countless others. The legacy of Art Blakey and his band is not only the music they produced, but also the opportunities they provided for several generations of jazz musicians.n the album we are presenting you today, you’ll find the eight sublime tracks recorded by renowned engineer Elvin Campbell at the CI Recording Studios (New York) in December 1977 that became known as the “In My Prime” sessions. These recordings were originally released on the legendary Dutch jazz label Timeless Records (and produced by its owner Wim Wigt) as two separate albums named Vol.1 & Vol.2. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the much-needed vinyl reissue of “Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers “In My Prime” which contains the complete NYC sessions recorded at the CI Recording Studios (New York) on December 29, 1977.This unique album comes as a deluxe 180g DOUBLE vinyl edition (strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide) with obi strip and is packaged in a gatefold jacket featuring the original artworks and session shots from Mark Bug Zester, Don Diesveld & Hans Harzheim (known for their work with artists such as Sun Ra, Chet Baker and Pharoah Sanders). To top it all off, this release also includes the original liner notes written by renowned author and producer Chip Stern (Ginger Baker, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis). Released exclusively for Record Store Day 2022 and available in participating stores on April 23, 2022. Limited to 1,500 U.S. copies.