Originally recorded in 1961,
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers'
Roots & Herbs was first released in 1970. Like many titles in the Blue Note catalog, this fine
Blakey outing was initially shelved by
Alfred Lion for unknown reasons; thankfully, considering
Blakey's large array of available Blue Note albums, this wasn't necessarily a crisis. Having already been a magnet for such talented hard bop players and writers as
Hank Mobley,
Benny Golson,
Clifford Brown,
Horace Silver (who helped form the original group), and
Kenny Dorham,
the Messengers' lineup of 1961 featured one of
Blakey's best rosters: In addition to trumpeter
Lee Morgan, who would alternate in the early '60s with
Freddie Hubbard, the band featured tenor saxophonist
Wayne Shorter, pianists
Walter Davis, Jr. and
Bobby Timmons, and bassist
Jymie Merritt. Feeding off six early compositions by
Shorter, all the players reel off top-notch solos atop
Blakey's fluidly galvanizing swing beat. Highlights include "Ping Pong," "Look at Birdie," and "Master Mind," compositions that, in their fetchingly askew ways, nicely foreshadow the wealth of ideas to come from
Shorter's pen throughout the '60s. ~ Stephen Cook