Born during the Harlem Renaissance, Art Blakey was influenced by the political views that dominated African American culture. A professional musician during a period of intense civil rights activism in the US, Blakey produced music that displayed his mastery as an artist over the bebop style. Albums like A Night at Birdland helped propel the Jazz Messengers, a group that nurtured the talents of upcoming musicians. Blakey not only heralded the influential jazz combo, but also led the way to integrating West African culture with the music of his time. Through these activities, Blakey was able to provide commentary on the strides being made for the civil rights of both Africans and African Americans. By the ‘80s, the evolving mainstream had reached a consensus: Art Blakey was easily its long-lived master.
Arthur Blakey first began his musical education in the form of piano lessons, later switching to drums by imitating the styles of Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. Blakey’s childhood reflected the difficult life commonly found in Pittsburgh at the time. His mother died just a few days after he was born and shortly after his father, who was very light skinned, abandoned him to foster care. In an interview with Rosenthal, Blakey states, “My father…never spoke to me or anything. It was a difference between, you know, the races, the prejudice [within] the black race. Mulattos didn’t speak to the blacks; blacks didn’t speak to mulattos.” In fact, Blakey’s school years were filled with episodes of racism. Blakey stated “most of the teachers were white, and most of them were bigots.” He was acutely aware of his African heritage as a child, explaining that he was expelled from school when he presented a report that identified Africa as the site of the first University because teachers accused him of lying. This school report was the origin of an interest in African culture, religion and music that would occupy a significant portion of Blakey’s life.
The Harlem Renaissance began in the 1920s and had a profound effect on Blakey’s early life. He developed a sense of pride in his African heritage and began a journey that would inspire him to create African-inspired jazz in the 1960s. While the Great Migration and development of Harlem were important factors that helped to bring about the Harlem Renaissance, this movement ultimately grew out of political activities of African Americans who were working hard to promote African American civil rights and cultural heritage. African American composers and musicians began to use rhythm, percussion instruments, and unique timbres as a way of including Africa in their music. Blakey’s experiences, influences, and music demonstrated the importance that West African music and culture played in the ongoing development of jazz. As a community, African Americans were able to find a spiritual connection with their cultural heritage by adopting the religion, customs, and music of West Africa.
According to Blakey, his “first real spurt of development occurred during a three-year stint with the Billy Eckstine Band.” In an interview with Art Taylor, Blakey underscores the impact that Eckstine’s band had on him and states, “It was like a school for me and that’s when I realized that we had to have bands for young black musicians. It’s a school and they can train to become musicians and learn how to act like musicians.” This most certainly led to Blakey’s interest in mentoring young musicians. Blakey insisted big band experience was important to musicians because it provided education and what he often described as a “family atmosphere.” He had a policy of encouraging young musicians: as he remarked on-mic during the live session which resulted in the A Night at Birdland albums in 1954: “I’m gonna stay with the youngsters. When these get too old I’ll get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active.”
While not an extremely significant album, A Night at Birdland formalized the establishment of the Messengers and signaled Blakey’s return to music after his stay in Africa. The album featured Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, and Curly Russell. Later, his Jazz Messenger small groups served as learning grounds for young musicians. As a result, a great many young jazz musicians got their big break with Art Blakey and went on to have successful performance careers of their own.
