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By 1957, Art Blakey had already earned considerable acclaim and a fierce reputation among fans and peers alike. Blakey and his near-omnipresent group The Jazz Messengers had recorded some of the most enduring jazz music of the era and were showing no signs of losing momentum. Originally formed in 1947, The Jazz Messengers had, within a decade, developed into a second incarnation, composed of trumpeter Bill Hardman, bassist Spanky DeBrest, Sam Dockery on piano and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. The latter's hard-swinging sound would take centre stage on the quintet's albums during this period, notably so on 1956's Hard Bop and Ritual: The Modern Jazz Messengers in 1957. In 1958 the group went through a further personnel change, enlisting Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass. It was with this line-up that Blakey would produce some of his most famous work, and in 1958 they released Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers, quickly reissued as Moanin' to take advantage of the opening track's popularity. The next few years would be a period of transition and experimentation for Art Blakey in his ongoing quest to bring new elements into his overall sound. In 1958 he recorded the two-volume set Holiday for Skins, which saw him take his drumming to a new level. Assembling a band containing numerous percussionists, including Philly Joe Jones, Ray Baretto and Sabu Martinez, the album took clear influence from Blakey's travels to Africa in the late 1940s, combining African drumming and chanting with Cuban percussion alongside a more traditional jazz lineup. The Jazz Messengers would continue to cycle through saxophonists as the decade drew to a close, seeing the return of Hank Mobley for another live session at the famous Birdland jazz venue, At the Jazz Corner of the World, and finally Wayne Shorter on A Night in Tunisia in 1960.

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