Just Coolin'

Drummer Art Blakey was a core member of Blue Note's stable between 1947 and 1967. His ever-evolving Jazz Messengers hosted and showcased a constant influx of great musicians on more than 20 albums, most of whom have become legends. The discovery of a finished album from 1959 is enough to raise any jazz fan's blood pressure in anticipation. Just Coolin' was cut at Rudy Van Gelder's studio five weeks before the Birdland concerts that became the two-volume At the Jazz Corner of the World. The live dates reprise four of these six tunes.
Though short-lived, the lineup here is, as one would expect from this period, top tier: Blakey is accompanied by tenorist Hank Mobley (a founding Jazz Messenger in 1954), trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. The recording immediately prior to this was 1958's immortal Moanin' with Benny Golson on tenor. After Golson left, Blakey asked Mobley to rejoin for this March session. (Three months later, the saxophonist skipped a gig in Canada and Blakey hired Wayne Shorter.) Mobley brought three tunes: "Hipsippy Blues," "M&M," and "Just Coolin'." Of the remainder, Timmons contributed "Quick Trick."
While there is an uncharacteristic looseness revealed in the group-played thematic statements, the interplay between soloists and rhythm section is inspired and fluid. While opener "Hipsippy Blues" commences with the trademark blues feel redolent of Blakey's musical vernacular, Mobley's solo stretches them to the breaking point with its relaxed sophistication, while Morgan follows with an understated break, that transforms itself into jazz fire. The Jazz Messengers understood their group sound implicitly. Check the chart in Tin Pan Alley songwriting queen Bernice Petkere's "Close Your Eyes"; if you didn't already know, you'd swear it was penned by Mobley or Timmons. The trumpeter's solo reaches for the sky in just a couple of choruses, while Mobley digs a bluesy furrow in his. The uncredited "Jimerick" is a scorching exercise in bebop with Blakey and Timmons dueling for dominance. Mobley gets extremely playful as he quotes from "Cheek to Cheek" and other pop tunes and balances the energy. Timmons' "Quick Trick" is the only known version of the tune. An exercise in free and easy, it contains wonderful solos from the pianist and Morgan. Mobley's "M&M" is titled for the horn players and initially offered at a slightly more relaxed tempo than the Birdland take. That said, its more sophisticated chart creates an abundant space for all three soloists to challenge and complement one another. The title cut first appeared on Mobley's 1955 Blue Note debut (Blakey was its drummer). It starts at midtempo, but Mobley's swinging entrance increases the tension almost immediately. Morgan's soulful, dazzling solo is easily his best here. Merritt and Blakey also offer hard-grooving statements together and separately. Just Coolin' may not be a Holy Grail, but it's well worth the wait as it reveals a band in transition firing on all cylinders. ~ Thom Jurek