For 35 years Art Blakey was the pre-eminent leader of the hard-bop movement, a term frequently applied to an intense, hard driving style of jazz that combined elements of bebop, Rhythm & Blues and gospel music, that began to emerge in the early 1950s.

Hard bop is usually regarded as being characterized by dark, weighty, earthy timbres, soulful inflections of pitch, blues-like melodic figures, and sometimes harmonies and chord progressions reminiscent of the sanctified church. Hard bop flourished during the late fifties and sixties, experienced a dip in popularity, like most jazz forms, during the 1970s and enjoyed an unprecedented revival from the mid-1980s onwards.

For 35 years Art Blakey led his Jazz Messengers, an ensemble that ranked among the most rewarding in jazz. The Jazz Messengers served as a springboard for talented young musicians who were prepared to push themselves beyond the limit, or burn-out in the process. As a leader, Art Blakey always insisted on complete musicianship and the understanding that without risk jazz is dead. Blakey had no time for timidity or playing it safe, his drumming encouraged daring and brilliance. He consistently stood by his musical principles. In doing so the Jazz Messengers have shaped the style of most small group blowing over four decades.

Blakey’s role as a teacher, finder and developer of young talent is unsurpassed in jazz.