Art is remembered here by some great musicians, most of whom are former Messengers. I will remember him not only as a legendary drummer, but as a humanitarian with a great sense of humor. “People aren’t meant to be alone,” he said to me one night in the kitchen at Sweet Basil, in NYC. He was reflecting on his life as an only child, and perhaps, on the eight children who survived him. On another occasions, as he was making his way through a crowd of fans, he had this to say: “When you write about me, say whatever you want. Just make sure you spell my name right.”
Horace Silver (Sept 2, 1928-June18, 2014) RIP
First and foremost, Art was one of the great drummers of all time, a master musician, and he continually amazed all the guys in the band with his consistency of performance. He hardly ever had a bad night. Of course his band was a great channel through which a whole lot of young cats got their start; now that he’s gone, it’s like Juilliard’s been shut down. They have various music schools around the country, but there’s nothing like that on the road experience, where you’re playing with other young guys and some old pros, and a guy like Art is leading you and urging you on. Years ago, we knew harmony, be we couldn’t read good; today they can read the hell out of it, but if you want to be a good jazz musician, you have to learn how to improvise and solo. We want to keep this music alive, but we also want to keep it well. And this is what they cultivate in a band like Art Blakey’s. We’re all going to miss him and I love him dearly.
John Hicks (Dec 21, 1941- May 10, 2006) RIP
The first time I went to Europe, to Japan, my first recording, the first compositions of my own that were recorded… all that happened with Art. At first, I had to learn all this music that these other folks had written over the years, but the first thing he asked me was, “You got any tunes?” And if you didn’t have any right then, you were gonna have some! I think most people who played in his bands have come up with at least one or two decent tunes that keep being played and recorded by other people.
I was thinking earlier today about things that you learn with Art that you don’t think that much about, and I’ve been watching others like Wynton, Terence… all these guys have a certain decorum, a way of being up on the bandstand, like taking a little bow when you’re introduced, that comes directly from Art.
Musically, he had a way of letting you know how to construct a solo, not to start at the very top end but to build it. He also gave you a very good idea of how not to play too long — and not by cutting you off. He knew when enough was enough and he let you know that. You learned that the object is to communicate some real kind of message or idea. And when that’s done, move on.
©️Karen Bennett, 1991, 2023
All Rights Reserved
There will be many more remembrances of Art Blakey to come. I believe I interviewed 17 musicians for this story years ago.