Broadcast on 10-Feb-2014

This album is not as overt a protest or as political as last week's Jazz feature by Max Roach but has political overtones, a reflection the time it was recorded in 1961. This was the time of The Freedom Riders, young people both black and caucasian from the North who headed down to the militant Southern States to fight the segregation laws that were illegal but still practised. The members of this important edition of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers were all African- Americans who were politically aware. The music reflects this awareness as to the civil rights movement that was taking place in the USA. The title track is a drum solo by Art Blakey dedicated to the young Freedom Riders and called "The Freedom Rider". The rest of the tunes by this great Messenger edition which consisted of Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone who was also musical director of the band. Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass and Blakey. The compositions are two by Shorter and four by Morgan showing how creative this band was. The music is intense and swinging and the chemistry of this band is something to behold. Check out "The Freedom Rider"!