First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings CD

Here's something to set any serious jazz-head's pulse racing: a recently rediscovered (and never-before released) live album from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The double-disc set showcases the collective (whose members at that time included tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Bobby Thomas and trumpeter Lee Morgan) in concert during their first tour of Japan in 1961. As you'd expect, it makes for brilliant listening, with the band switching between extended, reworked versions of their own compositions (see the fantastic take on 'Moanin') and jazz staples including Charlie Parker's 'Now's The Time' and Thelonious Monk's 'Round About Midnight'. The accompanying booklet is brilliant, too, and includes a wealth of new interviews, rare photographs of the performance and an essay by jazz journalist Bob Blummethal.