The Jazz Messengers discography: History and Key Facts

The Jazz Messengers were a jazz band that existed with varying personnel for 35 years. Their discography consists of 47 studio albums, 21 live albums, 2 soundtracks, 6 compilations, and one boxed set.

Drummer Art Blakey was the leader or co-leader of the group throughout its existence. He is the drummer on all Jazz Messengers recordings and is therefore elided from personnel listings. Members recorded as either a quintet or sextet except for one 11-piece big band appearance and their expansion to a septet at the end.

The earliest recordings of the original Messengers were on Blue Note Records; all of the original Messengers (except bassist Doug Watkins) had released albums under their own name on the label. Blue Note 1518 was a reissue of two previously released 10" LPs credited to The Horace Silver Quintet.

A few recordings on Columbia Records followed with a couple different formations. As the second Messengers lineup stabilized they recorded for the RCA sub-label Vik Records, interspersed with one-off recordings for Cadet Records, Jubilee Records, and Atlantic.

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