"Roots & Herbs" is a jazz album by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, recorded in 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1970. Like many titles in the Blue Note catalog, this fine Blakey outing was initially shelved by Alfred Lion for unknown reasons, but now that it's out once again with a 24-bit digital makeover, "Roots & Herbs" is definitely a welcome addition to the drum master's catalog.

Originally released in 1963, “Caravan” was Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' first album for Riverside Records. Featured in addition to Blakey are Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Wayne Shorter (sax), Cedar Walton (piano) and Reggie Workman (bass). This reissue features remastered audio from the original master tapes and is available on 192/24 hi res digital.

Recorded in 1961, but not released until 1967, The Witch Doctor features one of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ all-time great line-ups: Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Shorter and Morgan each contribute two tunes, with Timmons penning one. Highlights include Morgan’s spectacular 6/8 modal piece “Afrique” and Shorter’s minor masterpiece “Those Who Sit And Wait.” Bobby Timmons brings the deep soul goods on his composition “A Little Busy,” and the album closes with a fleet-footed romp through Clifford Jordan’s tune “Lost and Found.”

Drummer Art Blakey recorded Indestructible—his final album for Blue Note—in 1964 with a powerful sextet line-up of The Jazz Messengers featuring Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano), and Reggie Workman (bass). The LP presented 5 compelling original compositions by Fuller (“The Egyptian” & “Sortie”), Morgan (“Calling Miss Khadija”), Walton (“When Love Is New”), and Shorter (“Mr. Jin”), and was adorned with one of Reid Miles’ most memorable album cover designs. This Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The Jazz Messengers was a group of young musicians organized by Art Blakey to both inspire and mentor young jazz players, as well as to keep Blakey inspired and full of new ideas. The group went on to serve as a training ground for such luminaries as Hank Mobley and Wynton Marsalis. Hard Drive was recorded in 1957 and was originally released on the Bethlehem label.

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers of 1959 were hitting their full stride, as trumpeter Lee Morgan joined the fold with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, the reliable pianist Bobby Timmons and steady bassist Jymie Merritt…

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers of 1959 were hitting their full stride, as trumpeter Lee Morgan joined the fold with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, the reliable pianist Bobby Timmons and steady bassist Jymie Merritt…

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Art Blakey was, without doubt, one of the most explosive and rock-solid swinging drummers of all time. He also is one of the finest bandleaders and discoverers of new talent the music has ever known. On the title cut of 1960's A Night in Tunisia, Art is at his most passionate, starting off with a solo full of polyrhythms, color and fire, nearly primal in its intensity. The word "fire" can easily apply to this version of the Jazz Messengers, featuring the blistering trumpet of Lee Morgan, the highly original tenor-saxophonist Wayne Shorter, the funky pianist Bobby Timmons and the always-reliable bassist Jymie Merritt.