Art Blakey: Mosaic

For a band known for its straight-ahead hard bop charts and solos, the album Mosaic, with its relatively complex compositions by various band members, was something of a departure. But this fine sextet edition of The Jazz Messengers, on their first studio recording, took Cedar Waltons fast-paced title tune in stride, nailing the ensemble parts and contributing rousing, resourceful solos. The fairly lengthy track (8:12) features an extended and thoughtful Blakey drum solo.