"Moanin'" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Strong Songs

Dust off your head charts and brush up your best licks, cause it's time to wade into the warm, welcoming waters of jazz. This episode's Strong Song is Bobby Timmons' gospel-tinged "Moanin'," from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' 1959 album of the same name. Kirk zooms out a bit more than usual to talk about jazz small-group arranging, how a great solo is constructed, how jazz song-form works, and how (hopefully) to have a better appreciation for what's going on on a given jazz recording, even if you don't play. He also talks about anime.

Band/Artist: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Album: Moanin', 1959 (recorded in 1958)

Composed by: Bobby Timmons

Personnel: Lee Morgan, trumpet; Benny Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie Merritt, bass; Art Blakey, drums

Listen/Buy via Album.Link

ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:

"Freddie Freeloader" by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959
"Giant Steps" by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960
"I Wish" by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
("I Wish" was also featured on a 2018 episode of Strong Songs)
"Jordu" by Duke Jordan from Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 1954
"Cherokee" by Ray Noble as performed by Clifford Brown on Study in Brown, 1955
"Tank!" by Yoko Kanno from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack
The wonderful anime Kids on the Slope, streamable on Hulu and Crunchyroll.