{"product_id":"a-night-at-birdland-vol-2","title":"Night at Birdland, Vol. 2","description":"Art Blakey Quintet: Art Blakey (drums); Lou Donaldson (alto saxophone); Clifford Brown (trumpet); Horace Silver (piano); Curly Russell (bass).\u003cbr\u003eProducer: Alfred Lion.\u003cbr\u003eReissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.\u003cbr\u003eRecorded live at Birdland, New York, New York on February 21, 1954. Originally released on Bluenote (1522). Includes liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.\u003cbr\u003eDigitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Rudy Van Gelder.\u003cbr\u003eThis is part of Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder Editions series.\u003cbr\u003eArt Blakey's pre-Messengers quintet are in fine form on this second volume of A NIGHT AT BIRDLAND, a date that Blakey later claimed to be the \"first time I enjoyed a record session.\" Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Curley Russell, original Messengers leader Horace Silver and the powerful Art Blakey present a night of hard-swinging tunes and astounding soloing that defines the state of modern jazz in 1954.\u003cbr\u003eBlakey launches into a raucous solo to introduce the sizzling \"Wee Dot\" as the set's opener. Switching gears, Donaldson is then featured on the classic \"If I Had You,\" a bluesy ballad that gets a lift by the saxophonist's shimmering tone. The heat is back on, though, as a lightning-quick alternate take of Silver's \"Quicksilver\" will leave you breathless in its wake. A delightful arrangement of Jerome Kern's \"The Way You Look Tonight\" gives us a hint of the future Messengers sound. The end of the set appropriately features two Bird classics--the exemplary \"Now's The Time\" and the furious \"Confirmation\"-- both receiving excellent performances that cap off a memorable night of jazz.","brand":"InnerSleeve","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42238463213733,"sku":"602547292483","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/6007\/1077\/files\/e16028f8634676ca6f80cb4d717cd962.jpg?v=1777730073","url":"https:\/\/www.innersleeve.com\/en-gb\/products\/a-night-at-birdland-vol-2","provider":"InnerSleeve","version":"1.0","type":"link"}