Inexhaustible, unrepeatable, untouchable.
I never realized it at the time, but the Blakey "At the Cafe Bohemia" sessions have proven to be one of those life-long companionships that simply never grow old. They become a part of you, playing themselves out in your memory every day but constantly challenging you to return to them for a reality check. Are they really that good?

Possibly even better. The albums I once thought I preferred--the "Moanin'" album, the Blakeys with Clifford or Lee Morgan at Birdland, the original Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers session--all sit proudly on my shelf, seminal sides that are practically iconic in their representation of a whole era and style of jazz. But they don't get played much.

The Bohemia sessions, on the other hand, remain eternally hip because they never try to be. The genial hosting of Blakey ("Take your shoes off, folks, and make yourself comfortable. We're about to have a little cookin' session for Blue Note"); the ceaselessly fertile melodic imagination of Mobley, immediately responsive to each of Blakey's rhythmic cues and set-ups; the unadorned sound and pure substance of Kenny Dorham's trumpet with its disdain for anything played for flash or show (Blakey even bringing down his dynamics to accommodate his "uncrowned trumpet king") ; the superior strengths of Silver as a "side man" rather than an overly directive composer-leader forcing the groove; the time and sound of Watkins' bass, so integral with the ensemble as to be no more noticeable yet no less critical than your own heartbeat--it all adds up to a moment in time I'd even trade for the one I spent in Birdland one night when Coltrane was playing opposite the quartet of Terry Gibbs and Alice McCleod. Even the prospect of catching Bird or Lady Day live doesn't excite me as much as the opportunity to hear Hank Mobley playing alongside Kenny Dorham or Miles Davis. (Actually, I once did catch Hank live, but it was far too late.)

If this one goes out of print, we're in deep trouble.

The REST of the Bohemia date
This is Volume 2 of the Messengers at the Cafe Bohemia on Nov. 23, 1955. It's just a tad below Volume 1 in quality, but there are plenty of things here to admire and enjoy. "Hank's symphony" is an up-tempo swinger written by Mobley, and "Sportin' crowd" is another Mobley tune, a blues that really cooks. "I waited for you" drags just a bit, but this is an important Blakey CD set (Volume 1 & 2) in the Messengers discography.

The Live Recordings That Started "The Blue Note Sound"
It is my firm belief that Volumes 1 & 2 of The Jazz Messengers at the Cafe Bohemia are the genesis of what we know today as "the Blue Note Sound." While earlier albums, including Art's "A Night at Birdland" and "Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers" hinted at great things to come, these recordings just bring it all together for me. The hard bop is at a fever pitch, the songwriting is beginning to take on a more original and creative direction, and the lineup is killer -- Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Doug Watkins join Blakey and Silver. These are all trademarks of the great things we have come to expect from Blue Note. On Volume 2, standards "Like Someone in Love" and "Yesterdays" have fresh life breathed into them, while Mobley's "Avila and Tequila" adds the latin twist we'll hear later on "A Night in Tunisia." Finally, "I Waited for You" must be one of the best ballads of the mid-50s. Coupled with Volume 1 this is essential music.

They were so hip, you know, they were super-hip!
Those were Horace Silver's words describing the horn section of the 1st edition of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley weren't the flashiest players, and they were overlooked in the era of Miles and Clifford and Sonny and Trane. But they were also gifted improvisers and composers, as the Bohemia recordings clearly show. Kenny was more boppish than Miles but definitely a middle-register trumpeter; while Hank had a mellow, soulful sound perfect for hard bop. Add the tireless drums of Blakey and the blues-drenched piano of Horace Silver, and you've got a winning combo. This is the same lineup that recorded the classic album Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers about a year earlier; but there aren't any Silver compositions on either volume of the Bohemia recordings.

Volume 2 focuses primarily on Hank Mobley's contributions. "Sportin' Crowd" (a.k.a. "Tenor Madness" of Rollins-Coltrane fame) swings hard, while "Avila & Tequila" is an intense Afro-Latin romp that ranks among his best compositions. As far as standards go, "Like Someone in Love" has that great groovy feel that Blakey and his bands perfected. If you like this CD, get Volume 1 as well as Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (also on Blue Note).