Artist: The Jazz Messengers

The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990.

Blakey led or co-led the group from the outset, and he cultivated younger musicians, saying, "[y]es sir, I'm gonna to stay with the youngsters. When these get too old, I'm gonna get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active." Indeed, the group evolved into a proving ground for young jazz talent. Each iteration of the Messengers included a lineup of new young players. Having the Messengers on one's resume was a rite of passage in the jazz world, and conveyed immediate bona fides.

Blakey and Horace Silver began working together in the early 1950s. Some cite the group that included Blakey, Silver, Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson and Gene Ramey in 1953 as the original Jazz Messengers. On February 21, 1954, a group billed as the "Art Blakey Quintet" produced the live set of records called A Night at Birdland. The quintet included Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson and Curly Russell.

The Jazz Messengers formed as a collective, nominally led by Silver or Blakey on various dates. Blakey credits Silver with reviving the Messengers name for the group. The other members included Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Doug Watkins. Their first recordings officially using the Jazz Messengers name were a pair of live dates, recorded at the Café Bohemia in 1955.

In 1956 Dorham left the band and was replaced by Donald Byrd. This group released The Jazz Messengers on Columbia Records. Later in the year, the original group disbanded, but Blakey retained the Jazz Messengers name for his future groups.

For a brief period in 1956 Donald Byrd stayed on as a new lineup was formed. It included Kenny Drew, Wilbur Ware, and Ira Sullivan playing tenor sax rather than his main instrument, trumpet. The only recording of this version of the Messengers was two tracks backing up singer Rita Reys on The Cool Voice of Rita Reys on Columbia.

Blakey then formed a new lineup that would prove to be much more stable. The most notable name, at the time, was Jackie McLean. He was only 25, but had already recorded with Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. Bill Hardman, Sam Dockery and Jimmy "Spanky" DeBrest complete the group. They recorded another record for Columbia: Hard Bop—still under the collective's moniker The Jazz Messengers.

In 1958 Blakey formed a new lineup with four Philadelphia natives: Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons, and Jymie Merritt. This marked the beginning of perhaps the most fruitful period of the Jazz Messengers. They returned to Blue Note and the first record—entitled simply Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers—produced their biggest hit: "Moanin'".

In 1961 the group expanded to a sextet with the addition of Curtis Fuller. This lineup produced a self-titled album for Impulse! Records.  At the end of that summer, Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons left and were replaced by Freddie Hubbard and Cedar Walton respectively.

By January 1966 the band had completely turned over again. Now Chuck Mangione occupied the trumpet chair with Frank Mitchell on tenor sax, Keith Jarrett on piano and Reggie Johnson on bass. This lineup produced the live album Buttercorn Lady under the moniker Art Blakey and the "New" Jazz Messengers.

The late 1960s saw the ascendance of rock music in popular culture, and it was difficult for Blakey to maintain a steady lineup for the Messengers, during this period, and even more difficult to produce recordings. Blakey kept the Messengers working during this period—particularly abroad in Europe and Japan where they maintained their popularity. In various combinations, between 1966 and 1972, the band included trumpet players Woody Shaw and Randy Brecker in addition to Hardman; saxophonists Garnett, Mitchell, Billy Harper and Ramon Morris; and trombonists Slide Hampton and Julian Priester. The piano chair saw the greatest turnover. After Jarrett, pianists included Mike Nock, Lonnie Liston Smith, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Ronnie Mathews, George Cables, Joanne Brackeen, Albert Dailey, plus occasionally veterans John Hicks, Cedar Walton, and Walter Davis Jr. Bassists included Juni Booth, Buster Williams, Larry Evans, Scotty Holt, Arnet, and Mickey Bass.

Blakey struggled to keep the band going the next three years. Only one recording—a 1975 collaboration with Sonny Stitt called In Walked Sonny on the Swedish Sonet label—was produced between 1973 and 1976. The Messengers were still popular in Japan, and travelled there annually. Hardman and Schnitter were constants throughout this period. Pianists also included Albert Dailey and Mickey Tucker and bassists after Suzuki included Cameron Brown and Chris Amberger.