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One of the greatest drummers in Jazz history, Art Blakey would have a humble beginning and be a classic story of working hard to achieve your dreams. Blakey was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in October 11th 1919. His upbringing was far from trouble free as his mother had to raise him alone and died before he was even a year old. After this tragedy a local seventh day Adventist church took him and his siblings in to raise. A family friend in the church became a foster mother for Blakey and raised him.
Although he had an adoptive family, Blakey bounced from several relatives and friend's houses as he was growing up.
Seeming to not have a stable home Blakey at an early age had to support and fend for himself. Through his early middle school and high school days he taught himself several ways to earn an income which included teaching and playing music. Art Blakey's love of music might have been influenced by his who was a local choir leader.
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Art Blakey would begin his passion of making music in the seventh grade as he began to play Piano. Blakey would only play piano and learn to be band leader till he switched to the drums.
Art Blakey's first big group he would play with after playing some time in local clubs was Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra. He would then go on to join Billy Eckstein's group as a drummer. It would take till 1947 for him to form a group of his own called 'Art Blakey's Messengers' This is where he would start recording a lot of his own original compositions and grow his name recognition even more.
Some of the albums this band created were 'Hard Bop', 'Tough!', and 'Ritual' Even he created his own band he led another called Seventeen Messengers. Blakey's Messengers would be the longest group he would work with in his life during these times he would jump in to support other bands and play with them while still maintaining his own group. His work ethic was impeccable as his Messengers continued to make albums up until 1987 with him making other songs, LP's, and albums with other big band groups.
Blakey stayed relevant for so long due to his willingness to adapt and work with others. He constantly stayed relevant with Jazz by working with the newest and best artists of those times. He even kept up with the progression of Jazz by trying different styles such as fusion funk, and would eventually end on Neotraditional Jazz near the end of his career. Although stylistically he would experiment Blakey did not deviate from his drum set during his career. Ever since he switched from piano to drum's he never looked back.
Art Blakey's legacy is mostly tied to bebop, and cool jazz. He is regarded for creating the template for drums in bebop even influencing the genre itself tremendously. He worked with any famous artists such as Mary Lou Williams, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie. The bands he contributed to are prolific and numerous such as Miles Davis Sextet, Dizzy Gillespie All Stars, Sonny Stitt Septet, and Dinah Washington. Art Blakey for most of his professional career played and mastered the drums. His style known to be fast paced and aggressive. Art Blakey went on to work in many Jazz era's but he is most associated with the bebop Era due to him being on the cutting edge of that time and his stylistic contribution to it.
Biography of Art Blakey. (2020, May 11). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/biography-of-art-blakey-essay
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