Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers - Not Yet (1988)

The 1988 edition of The Jazz Messengers, which drummer Art Blakey had been leading for 33 years, showed a great deal of promise. Comprised of trumpeter Philip Harper (soon to form The Harper Brothers), trombonist Robin Eubanks, the tenor of Javon Jackson, pianist Benny Green and bassist Peter Washington, this band (whose average age without counting Blakey was around 25) performs one original apiece by Green and Jackson along with five older songs on this enjoyable release. The music may not have contained too many surprises or been startlingly new, but the results are quite pleasing.
Blakey's status as a bandmaster for all seasons was now as widely celebrated as anything in jazz, and taking a place in the Messengers was one of the most widespread ambitions among young players. Of those in this edition, only Jackson seems less than outstanding, with Eubanks splendidly peppery, Harper another Marsalis type with a silvery tone, and Green one of the funkiest pianists since the band's earlier days.