Art Blakey

"Arabia"

Transcribed by Eddie Dalton

month's Drum Soloist features one of the hardest-Swingin' drummers of
Thisall time,
the late, great Art Blakey. On "Arabia" (from The Jazz Messengers'

Mosaic album, recorded 1961) Blakey is a powerhouse. He lays down such a

phat pocket that soloists Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax),
and Curtis Fuller (trombone) can't help but deliver spectacular spots.
When Blakey takes his turn, he kicks off with a driving floor tom accent pattern that eventually moves to the snare. No matter how far he stretches, the time is solid and swinging.
(Although not indicated, Art plays a strong 2 and 4 on his hi-hat throughout.)
While listening to Blakey's performance here, it's hard to believe that this track was recorded almost
forty years ago. Some of the licks Art pulls off sound amazingly fresh.