2015 reissue on 180g vinyl, originally released in 1958. Art Blakey is the true leader here, though he rarely performed in the big band format. Blakey was in a transitional state with the Jazz Messengers, and this lp, originally released on the Bethlehem label, is a one-time situation with Blakey leading a 15-piece orchestra that echoes the sounds of both the Dizzy Gillespie big band and Count Basie's orchestra in spots, while forging the straight-ahead hard bop style developed in the 1950’s. Coltrane had recently released "Dakar" and "Coltrane", and was recording "Blue Trane" for Blue Note at basically the same time as he was working with Blakey's groups for Bethlehem, but wasn't yet the focal point of any group of musicians in any format; he's playing here as a sideman, along with fellow sax player Al Cohn, and a host of quality players of the era. Essentially, this lp is Coltrane sitting in with Blakey's group in two formats. Session B (tracks A1, A2 – B1, B2, B3, B4 and B5, (“Oasis,” previously unreleased on LP) features the 15-piece big band led by Blakey. Tracks A3 and A4, “Tippin” (a Donald Byrd composition), and “Pristine” (penned by Coltrane himself), are quintet pieces, and “Pristine” in particular is worth a listen as it anticipates some of Trane’s sheet-of-sound quality that still startles and inspires. Probably not in the “must have” category of albums, but there are few other lp’s that fit this very particular niche in the Art Blakey discography.A1 Midriff 3:19 A2 Ain’t Life Grand 3:23 A3 Tippin' 7:03 A4 Pristine 5:43 B1 El Toro Valiente 2:44 B2 The Kiss Of No Return 5:38 B3 Late Date 3:37 B4 The Outer World 4:12 B5 Oasis 2:46
