It was passed over for initial release, then omitted from a series of Blue Note vault issue programs, but now, 60 years after it was recorded in Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio, we all get to hear Just Coolin’, a March 1959 session by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. This was a short-lived edition of the band, with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley back in the group for a few months, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Four of these pieces were recorded live for the band’s At The Jazz Corner Of The World double-album about six weeks after this studio session. Mobley’s three numbers (Hipsippy Blues, the finger-snapping M&M and the title track) plus Bernice Petkere’s Close Your Eyes made it to the Birdland stage, so this album stayed on the shelf. There are plenty of flashes of brilliance throughout, especially from the perennially underrated Mobley (who suffers from a squeaky reed on Timmons’ hip but otherwise unrecorded Quick Trip and elsewhere) and the much-praised Morgan. But as a band effort the music doesn’t always cohere, and for a ensemble that had so many great days in the studio and documented in performance, this set seldom rises to the heights. Still, previously unheard solos by Lee Morgan are always a plus, and from a historical perspective, this set adds insight into a transitional period for the band. It’s also a curious fact that this 60-year old music sounds as fresh as yesterday, while in 1959, styles that were prevalent even just 30 years before seemed terribly dated. Recommended.
Blue Note; Lee Morgan (tpt) Hank Mobley (ts) Bobby Timmons (p) Jymie Merritt (b) Art Blakey (d); Hackensack, NJ, March 8, 1959; Hipsippy Blues/ Close Your Eyes/ Jimerick/ Quick Trick/ M&M/ Just Coolin’; 38:57. www.bluenote.com
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