Perhaps my favorite of the Jazz Messengers, Indestructible is one of the last times Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter would record together with Blakey. Morgan, my Philadelphia Negro and funky trumpeter, contributes to this album with the latin-funk cut, "Calling Ms. Khadija," a danceable number that proves jazz music can groove, too. My Newark brother, Wayne Shorter, an amazing saxophonist, contributes with "Mr. Jin," a contemplative piece. Trombonist Curtis Fuller also adds two amazing songs, "The Egyptian" and "Sortie," which both feature powerful drumming by my boy Art Blakey and Middle-Eastern themes. The final track, "When Love Is New," is your standard ballad that is nice to listen to, but far from essential.
"The Egyptian": Blakey's drums take us off, along with that repetitive vamp. Doesn't sound very Egyptian, but definitely leaning toward the modal jazz influenced by North African and Middle Eastern music that also impacted Coltrane and Miles Davis. There is something akin to a spiritual search here, and Fuller's trombone solo keeps digging deeper and deeper into the depths of the soul. Shorter's solo around 3:20 also shows Shorter sounding like Coltrane with the overblowing around 4:50s. Morgan's trumpet solo returns us to a more contemplative journey, as does Cedar Walton's piano solo, which does sound Middle Eastern-tinged at times. Of course one must not overlook that titling this piece after the Egyptian nation likely has resonance with Pan-Africanist and African-American reclamation of ancient Egyptian heritage. Interestingly, around 7 minutes into the song, pianist Walton quotes the melody "A Felicidade" from the famous film, Black Orpheus, a nice little tribute to Brazil and bossa nova!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ParynStSU Hear the influence of bossa nova
"Sortie": Blakey provides some Latin-influenced percussion, Morgan blows that trumpet in a typical hard bop, funky mould we all love, even if it gets monotonous on his later solo albums. Then our savior, Wayne Shorter, comes riding in on his saxophone around 3:45 into the song, sounding a lot like John Coltrane, whose playing began to influence Shorter and push him beyond the Blakey school of hard bop. This is beautiful and funky simultaneously, especially that piano riff Walton takes off with. Proof that trombonists are relevant in post-swing jazz and great composers. Walton's piano solo near the end may be the highlight for me, surprisingly.
"Calling Ms. Khadija": With a name like Khadija, Morgan probably wrote this latin funk piece for a black woman. Blakey's aggressive Latin rhythms propel the piece, as well as the waltzy horns, primarily Morgan. Like "The Sidewinder," this is latin funky bop at its best. Blakey's waltz drum solo here too closely resembles his solo on "Koko's Waltz," another Morgan composition, but its still all good in the hood. It definitely illustrates how Blakey must have been an octopus to play the drums like that. Shorter shines here as well, playing that soulful solo around 2:15 or so. Interesting fact: one source I found claims that the Khadija in this song is actually the sister of McCoy Tyner's wife, Aisha. They're all from Philadelphia, my city.
"When Love is New": a nice ballad, this is the sole cut from the album that lacks the aggressive, propulsive swing associated with Blakey. Nice horn work, especially on the part of Wayne Shorter, saves this ballad from developing into boredom. But that's hardly a surprise since Shorter always does well with any ballad (listen to Evil Eyes, from Speak No Evil.)
"Mr. Jin": Mr. Shorter's sole piece sounds like the first two on the album, especially "The Egyptian." However, Shorter takes the piece into different directions during his time to shine, moving past the restrictive hard bop of the Blakey school of jazz. He calls and responds to himself in a way not limited to the blues form, but sounds like his own solo recordings. Lee Morgan's solo also shows off his ability to play in the same school as Shorter.
Overall, this is one of the strongest albums by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. As someone who loves Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter, it's always a pleasure to hear them together. This live version of "The Egyptian" with John Gilmore and Lee Morgan is also worth hearing. Gilmore, who was a member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, actually had a huge impact on Coltrane and is truly an unrecognized innovator of the saxophone.
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