Art Blakey - Art Blakey's Big Band (1957)

Tracklist

1. Midriff
2. Ain't Life Grand
3. Tippin'
4. Pristine
5. El Toro Valiente
6. The Kiss Of No Return
7. Late Date
8. The Outer World

personnel :

Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Bill Hardman, Idrees Sulieman (tp)
Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston, Frank Rehak (tb)
Bill Graham, Sahib Shihab (as)
Al Cohn, John Coltrane (ts)
Bill Slapin (bars)
Walter Bishop Jr. (p)
Wendell Marshall (b)
Art Blakey (d)

Throughout his long career as a bandleader, drummer Art Blakey very rarely played with big bands. This Bethlehem date was a one-shot affair, an opportunity for his powerful drumming to be heard propelling a 15-piece orchestra through a set of mostly new material. With such soloists as John Coltrane (who is also featured on two quintet numbers), trombonist Jimmy Cleveland and trumpeters Donald Byrd and Ray Copeland, this was a potentially mighty band; its arrangers included Melba Liston and Al Cohn. This LP is worth searching for.~Scott Yanow