Alan Goldsher's message of love to Blakey

Writer Alan Goldsher makes no bones about his love for Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The bass wonk, well known to readers of Bass Player Magazine, has been a fan of Blakey's nearly four-decade experiment in ensemble jazz since his teen years. In 2002 Goldsher channeled that passion into a unique book, Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, that looks at the long, steady parade of musicians who studied the art of jazz at Blakey's feet. It's neither biography nor hagiography, giving us a perspective on Blakey from the men who honed their skills in his crucible. (And yes, I know the book is now eighteen years old. I'm just getting around to it, and time doesn't negate its level of interest.)

As per the subtitle, the book looks at each and every one of Blakey's sidemen from the full run of the Messengers. Each player is covered in three to five pages of discussion about their contributions to the band, and their views on Blakey as a leader and mentor. Many of the surviving players were interviewed by the author, the others are addressed from research. There are short forewords by Branford Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Javon Jackson and Terence Blanchard, then an initial chapter about the band's key role in jazz' development. The other chapters cover each instrument in turn.

Again, Goldsher makes it clear that his perspective is not as an expert researcher but a full-on fanboy. This is a plus, as he avoids getting bogged down in academic language and analysis in favor of an enthusiastic appraisal of each performer. Specific recordings are presented as they relate to the sidemen's contributions.

Some players don't receive their own personal section but are covered in notes at the end of each chapter. For example, Johnny Griffin, John Gilmore, Gary Bartz, Jean Toussaint, and Kenny Garrett are lumped together at the end of the saxophone chapter. This doesn't intentionally give them short shrift; it's merely a function of the comparatively brief time that each man spent in the Messengers, and how little documentation of their tenures might exist.

For those interested in the hard bop movement or jazz history in general, Goldsher's book is a very enjoyable, informative addition to the canon.