New Sounds Explained

New Sounds
10" LP
Type:compilation
Artist:Max Roach, James Moody, Kenny Dorham and Art Blakey
Cover:New Sounds LP.jpg
Released:August 1952
Recorded:December 22, 1947; April 30 and May 15, 1949
Genre:Jazz
Length:24:30
Label:Blue Note
Producer:Alfred Lion
Chronology:Art Blakey
Next Title:A Night at Birdland Vol. 1
Next Year:1954
New Sounds
Compact Disc
Type:compilation
Artist:Art Blakey's Messengers, James Moody and his Modernists
Cover:New Sounds CD.jpg
Released:1991
Recorded:December 22, 1947; October 19 and 25, 1948
Genre:Jazz
Length:41:27
Label:Blue Note
Producer:Alfred Lion, Michael Cuscuna

New Sounds was originally a 10" LP compiling previously released 78 rpm records on the Blue Note label. A CD reissue with the same name and cover appeared in 1991, but while using many of the same personnel, had only two tracks in common with the original LP. It instead compiled a distinct James Moody 10" LP (James Moody and his Modernists, BLP 5006) with the Art Blakey tracks and included several tracks previously unreleased on LP or any format. Conversely, the tracks omitted from the CD, which were on the Moody LP, have not been reissued on CD.

Background

In December 1947, Art Blakey formed a group for his first sessions as a leader. Dubbed Art Blakey's Messengers, this group was a precursor to The Jazz Messengers groups of the next decade and beyond. Blakey had recently gone on a pilgrimage to Africa and adopted Islam. Many of his fellow musicians had adopted the religion as well, and the "Messengers" name was a nod to the message of the religion. Five tracks were recorded during this session, four of which came out on 78s. Two of the tracks were on the original 10" LP, all five are on the CD.

Three of the other four tracks on the original 10" LP were recorded by a group billed as the Max Roach Quintet, recorded in Paris in May 1949. This group included James Moody and Kenny Dorham (who was also in Blakey's Messengers). The final track was recorded by a Moody-led group in Switzerland, in April 1949. These four tracks were originally released on three 78s.

As noted above the previous four tracks were omitted from the CD and replaced by two different James Moody sessions which were previously released on the 10" LP James Moody and His Modernists (BLP 5006). This LP, too, was a compilation of records originally released as 78s. The New Sounds CD includes the entirety of these two sessions—recorded October 19 and 25, 1948—including a previously unreleased alternate take of "The Fuller Bop Man."

Reception

In his review of the CD version of New Sounds, Scott Yanow of AllMusic described the recordings as "historically significant. Classic and formerly rare music."

Track listing

Compact disc

Personnel

Art Blakey's Messengers

LP Tracks A3 and B3, CD tracks 10–14

Max Roach Quintet

LP tracks A1, A2, B1

James Moody Quartet

LP track B2

James Moody's Modernists

CD tracks 1–9