A Night in Tunisia (1960 album)
Occupation
- Trumpet: Lee Morgan
- Tenor Saxophone: Wayne Shorter
- Piano: Bobby Timmons
- Bass: Jymie Merritt
- Drums: Art Blakey
A Night in Tunisia is a jazz album by Art Blakey with his Jazz Messengers, which was opened on 7 and 14 August 1960 at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and published in the same year by Blue Note Records. This is the second album that Blakey published under this title: As early as 1957 he had recorded an album A Night in Tunisia for RCA Bluebird.
The album
After the previous albums Africaine ( November 1959 ) and The Big Beat (which was established in March 1960) it was the third album by the Jazz Messengers with the young tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who had replaced Benny Golson. The quintet consisted of the Messengers in 1960 also from Lee Morgan ( trumpet), Bobby Timmons ( piano ), Jymie Merritt ( bass) and bandleader Art Blakey on drums.
The album begins with the title track, an eleven-minute version of Dizzy Gillespie's composition " A Night in Tunisia ", which is characterized here by the polyrhythmic game Blakey; the band leader starts with a one-minute solo on, accompanied only by bassist Jymie Merritt. Then the wind set in unison before the Tunisia- topic before Shorter goes into his solo. After Morgan's solo and a brief presentation of the bassist Art Blakey rises after five minutes in an extended drum solo one, which is accompanied only by bass lines and percussion of the other band members. [ Blumenthal 1] After a short game themes of the Winds ( 7:52 ) follows a passage in which the musical action shifts; the rhythm section of Morgan and Shorter have an opportunity for a short unaccompanied solos; Blakey is at Morgans solo short accents with call and response -like interjections and Morgan introduces the topic of a last.
Gillespie's piece for five years belonged to the live repertoire of the Messengers; "It's a very wonderful thing with this piece ," remarked the band leader, "it's just that the piece is so inspiring and we enjoy it, play it, and people like it. We play it every night, but is never the same. " [ Gardner 1] Blakey had already recorded with its various Messengers spending several versions of the title, so 1954 A Night at Birdland with Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson and Horace Silver as well as title track of his RCA album in 1957 with a fan - frontlne from Bill Hardman, Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin.
Conventional and swinging medium tempo the following Shorter composition " Sincerely Diana" is applied, the dedicated Shorter Blakey's wife Diana. After Morgan's game Timmons has a solo before Blakey provides a drum pad. Theme play the wind instruments and a fade out of the pianist finish the piece. Bobby Timmons ' " So Tired " is an issue in typical Soul Jazz style of the period, as it is associated with Timmons / Blakey [ Gardner 1] soloists are Morgan and Timmons. ; Wayne Shorter is heard in the game themes. This piece was hidden again with Timmons ' game. In the same week Timmons took him under his own name for Riverside.
The title of Lee Morgan's quiet landscaped composition " Yama " (Japanese mountain ) refers to the beginning of the birth name of Morgan's wife Yamamoto. " Yama " had " a quietly to himself bobbing blues - colored arrangement. " [ Gardner 1], also designed by Lee Morgan " Kozo 's Waltz " refers in the title again to the origin of his wife (Japanese child). [ Gardner 2]
Here are two additional pieces that also arose at the first session on August 7, but not in the original LP ( BLP 4049 ) were added, "When Your Lover Has Gone ," one of the rare standards of the Messengers, and a alternative version of Shorter's " Sincerely Diana" to the Bob Blumenthal noted, they show compared to the master version of a rather average Blakey solo, while the selected version is the most impressive; but also Shorter's " excellent solo " could have been the decisive factor in the decision. [ Blumenthal 1]
Album Review
The critic Bob Blumenthal praised the album in the new edition of the album in the Rudy Van Gelder Edition (2004) and praised its version of the title track shows that " something special " was over its predecessors from 1954 and 1957. The interpretation was presented " by the introduction of the Afro - Latin percussion ensembles in overdrive "; by Shorter's second chorus Chorus | " things really explode " would and Morgan " play with real fervor. " the author feels in the face of the groove that create the percussionist and bassist Merritt at Blakey main solo, at the Orgy in Rhythm recordings from March 1957 recalls. Impressive were also the extravagant codas of Morgan and Shorter at the end. [ Blumenthal 1]
In the original liner notes the critic Barbara J. Gardner pointed out, the album was " prime example of Blakey's quest to highlight young talents (except for the title track ) were able to show in their compositions and arrangements of her talent here. " [ Gardner 1]
In Scott Yanow Allmusic rated the album with four Steren, limiting that the long title track " overshadowing the rest of the program ", but the "one of the most exciting versions of " was that had ever been recorded by Dizzy Gillespie number. Lee Morgan, who was still early 20s, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merritt formed one of the strongest of the many editions of the Jazz Messengers. [ Yanow 1]
Richard Cook and Brian Morton emphasize in their review of the album, which she excelled with the highest score, the A Night in Tunisia album was against the following Werkens a lasting favorites of their oeuvres. In addition to the " savagery " of the title track are especially lovely Shorter's " Sincerely Diana" and the two " charming " Morgan numbers " Yama " and " Kozo 's Waltz " that would speak for the album. [ Cook 1]
The title
- Blue Note BLP 4049, BST 84049, (LP)
- CD release: CDP 7 46532-2, CDP 7 84049-2
- The tracks 2, 4, 6 and 7 were taken on August 7, title 1, 3 and 5 on August 14, 1960.
Note to editorial
The following titles have been recorded at the two recording days: "Noise In The Attic ", " Sleeping Dancer Sleep On " (7 August 1960), " Giantis ", " Johnny 's Blues " and " Like Someone In Love" (August 14, 1960). They appeared only five years later at the Blue Note LP Like Someone In Love ( BLP 4245 ).