Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: A La Mode

This dynamic live version of the Curtis Fuller composition features fine solo work from the Marsalis brothers, Billy Pierce and pianist Donald Brown. After superb opening fills from Blakey, the group briefly struggles with tempo issues (I don't think the front line expected the melody to be quite so fast!), but they quickly settle in and perform the head and their subsequent solos flawlessly. Highlights include a brief yet first-rate solo statement from Pierce and a playful Wynton Marsalis, who alternates moments of displaying his virtuosic technique with witty chitchat among his bandmates.