One of the definitive hard bop recordings demands to be heard at its best. Unfortunately, the gap between the best and worst versions here is wider than it has any right to be.
Recorded in a single session at Van Gelder Studio on 30 October 1958, Moanin' is the record that crystallised what the Jazz Messengers were. Bobby Timmons's opening title track sets the tone immediately: gospel-rooted, blues-soaked, and driven by Blakey's drums in a way that feels less like accompaniment and more like weather.
The remaining programme belongs largely to Benny Golson, whose writing gave the band both propulsion and lyricism in equal measure.
Moanin was Blakey's homecoming to Blue Note, and the band he brought with him produced one of the most cohesive and concentrated statements in the hard bop canon. The Moanin' single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. The album followed in 2001 and that reputation is entirely earned.
A quick note on the recording: on the title track, Lee Morgan gets audibly too close to his microphone. The air from his trumpet hits the capsule in a way that is similar to vocal plosives, and it is noticeable across most editions. On the DSD, you can actually hear his tone shift as he moves in toward the mic. It is a small thing, but it is there, and it is worth knowing before you start wondering whether something is wrong with your speakers or cans.
What to listen for
- recording detail
- room atmosphere
- analog feel in the sound of the mics