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The origin of the Jazz Messengers goes back to 1954 or 1955, when the first recordings credited to the band appeared. The Jazz Messengers formed as a collective, nominally led by Horace Silver or Art Blakey on various studio dates. Blakey credits Silver with reviving the Messengers name. Blakey formed a new line-up in 1956 that would prove to be somewhat more stable. The most notable name at the time was Jackie McLean. At just 25 he had already recorded with Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. Bill Hardman, Sam Dockery and Jimmy "Spanky" DeBrest filled out the band. They recorded another record for Columbia, Hard Bop, then went on to work for several different labels including RCA subsidiary Vik Records, Pacific Jazz, Elektra, Cadet, Jubilee, Bethlehem and a date on Atlantic featuring Thelonious Monk. Over this time the band's moniker evolved to include Blakey's name, starting with The Jazz Messengers featuring Art Blakey, then, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers on several other releases and, for Cu-Bop (Jubilee, 1957), Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers remained a major jazz collective right through until Art Blakey's death in 1990, but the group's golden years were, by that juncture, long past, and it remains this seminal act's records from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s for which the Jazz Messengers remain so fondly remembered. This superb collection features eight of the Jazz Messengers' finest records from this era, which feature, alongside maniman Art Blakey, the cream and most renowned players of the time.

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