Art Blakey experts please ... ?

I'm a big fan of "A Night at Birdland," Vols. 1 and 2...

"A Night At Birdland" is Art Blakey's most famous album with "old school" fans. It includes Pee Wee Marquette's famous introduction which is remembered by all "old school" fans. Pee Wee was a little guy with a big voice, he was Birdland's emcee.

This album was made while Clifford Brown was still around. He could play Be Bop, Hard Bop, and ballads; his tone was unforgettable. Horace Silver was also in that group. This was when jazz was "definitive", there was no confusing "jazz" with any other music.

"Inna, this one may not be for you". Inna likes jazz, but not "Old school" jazz. Him and many others prefer the music after it became "amorphous"; but jazz, like everything else, has evolved. "Old school, new school, future school; when you add the word "jazz", it all sounds good to me.

Orpheus - indeed, I do treasure it for the glimpses at the early days of Clifford and Horace too! I wish I could have been introduced to a crowd by Pee Wee Marquette...