A Night in Tunisia is a 1958 jazz album by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, released by the RCA Victor subsidiary label Vik.[3] It features the only recorded instances of saxophonists Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin playing together.[4]
| A Night in Tunisia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers | ||||
| Released | Mid February 1958[1] | |||
| Recorded | April 2 & 8, 1957, NYC | |||
| Genre | Hard bop | |||
| Label | Vik | |||
| Producer | Bob Rolontz | |||
| Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The album's original five tracks were augmented by up to three alternative takes on CD reissues.[2] The album was also reissued under the title Theory of Art, with two nonet tracks – "A Night at Tony's" and "Social Call" – added.[5][6]
Track listing
editA Night in Tunisia CD
edit- "A Night in Tunisia" (Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli) – 12:55
- "Off the Wall" (Johnny Griffin) – 7:16
- "Theory of Art" (Bill Hardman) – 9:46
- "Couldn't It Be You?" (Art Blakey, Jackie McLean) – 8:12
- "Evans" (Sonny Rollins) – 6:30
- "A Night in Tunisia" (Gillespie, Paparelli) – 12:30 Bonus track on CD re-issue.
- "Off the Wall" (Griffin) – 7:21 Bonus track on CD re-issue.
- "Theory of Art" (Hardman) – 10:14 Bonus track on CD re-issue.
Theory of Art CD
editFirst five tracks as A Night in Tunisia, above.
- "A Night at Tony's" (Gigi Gryce)
- "Social Call" (Gryce, Jon Hendricks)
Personnel
editA Night in Tunisia
edit- Art Blakey – drums
- Bill Hardman – trumpet
- Johnny Griffin – tenor sax
- Jackie McLean (listed as Ferris Benda/Ferris Bender on the cover) – alto sax
- Sam Dockery – piano
- Spanky DeBrest – bass
Theory of Art
edit- Art Blakey – drums
- Bill Hardman – trumpet
- Lee Morgan – trumpet
- Melba Liston – trombone
- Cecil Payne – baritone sax
- Johnny Griffin – tenor sax
- Sahib Shihab – alto sax
- Wynton Kelly – piano
- Spanky DeBrest – bass
References
edit- ^ "Special Merit Jazz Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Feb 17, 1958. p. 37. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: A Night in Tunisia (1957)". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ RCA Vik Record Label Discography, accessed November 30, 2015
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette (1st ed.). Penguin. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-14-015364-4.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: Theory of Art". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Shoemaker, Bill (May 1, 1997). "Art Blakey: Theory of Art". JazzTimes.