MP3 Clayton Cameron & the Jass Explosion - Here´s to the Messengers (A Tribute to Art Blakey)

This music is all about feeling those happy jazz grooves, from bebop swing to funky shuffles, relaxing to a wistful ballad or taping your foot to an
up tempo swing. It comes down to a simple equation: Melody/Harmony + a Great Groove = A Good Time.

9 MP3 Songs in this album (42:09) !
Related styles: Jazz: Mainstream Jazz, Type: Instrumental

People who are interested in Art Blakey Lewis Nash Wynton Marsaiis should consider this download.


Details:
When bebop innovator / drummer Max Roach met Clayton Cameron, aka the Brush Master, he commented, âClayton is a genius!â Miles Davis, after watching him with Sammy Davis Jr., told him, "you a bad MF$&#", (thatâs a Milesʼ term of endearment). Clayton Cameron stands on the proverbial shoulders of those musicians who have left their indelible footprints on jazz. Simply put, he studied the masters like Roach, and was inï¬uenced by leaders like Miles. In 1990, he produced his ground breaking video, âThe Living Art of Brushesâ, and revived interest in this jazz art form in which he is a master and innovator. You have heard his unique approach most notably on Tony Bennett's Grammy winning âSteppinâ Out and Unplugged CDs. To go along with that distinction, he won 15 Grammys with Mr. Bennett, including Album of The Year. Now Clayton's musical signature can be found on his own long awaited CD, "Hereâs to the Messengerâ, a tribute to hard bop drumming legend Art Blakey.

The ï¬rst track, âÀ la Modeâ, is à la Blakey â sets the tone with drive and swing followed by an up tempo original called âArt Fullâ featuring ï¬uid solos from Tivon Pennicott and John Beasley with a Brush Master solo closing it out. A downright funky âWhat Do You Say Dr. J?â leads into a waltz treatment of âAutumn Leaves". âThe End of Our Winterâ, a ballad original, showcases Bob Sheppard and Billy Childs in a somber tribute to Blakey. With a groove so strong âSo Tiredâ makes you feel like anything but. âWe For Blakeyâ, a blues shuffle, romps so hard you just want to sing and dance, and singing the praises of Art BlakeyʼsÊ» Bopitude is the title track âHereâs to the Messengersâ. The last track âETAâ is certainly not least. This up tempo flag waver features a battle between the horns and great conversation between Darek Oles bass solo and the swinginâ brushes
on the drums.


Bubba Jackson,
BWB Breezinʼ With Bubba, KKJZ FM88.1, Long Beach, CA


My first time ever in NYC was in 1982 when I was performing with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Bill Cosby at the Gershwin Theater. At the end of our show I walked off the stage and was greeted in the wings by none other than Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, aka Art Blakey. âCome over here, I heard you up there you little African.â This was said to me while he extended his powerful arms and proceeded to give me a bear hug. I could not believe I was meeting one of my heroes, the architect of hard bop drumming. From the early forties with the Billy Eckstineâs Big Band, to the beginnings of the Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver, until his last famous press roll, Art Blakey always had drive. With such a unique sound documented on thousands of tracks, I found it overwhelming to even scratch the surface of his contribution to music. So I took a deep breath and picked a few compositions that were written by some Jazz Messenger luminaries, chose one that he recorded with Miles and Cannonball, and then wrote tunes with inspiration from all the above.

Hope you enjoy,

Clayton Cameron

Thanks to all the incredible musicians, Billy Childs, John Beasley, Bob Sheppard, Darek Oles, Gilbert Castellanos, Trevor Ware, Tivon Pennicott, and Ryan Porter whose talent and gifts make this, my inaugural CD, something to be proud of. Music is what this is about and you cats are all about music. Thank you, thank you many times over. Special thanks to arranger Nick DePinna for the beautiful horns on Autumn leaves and to Lee Musiker for his inspiration on Art Full.

Much gratitude to my recording and mixing engineers, Nolanâ44â Shaheed, Mark Vincent, and Benjamin Terry.

I want to thank my beautiful wife Karla for all your patience, support, love, sharing your New Orleans roots, and raising our wonderful children, Sarah and Parker, who inspire daddy every day. Without you there is no me â you are my muse.

Photography: George Kalinsky â forty plus years as head photographer at Madison Square Garden is an icon in the world of Photography. I am so thankful to call him friend and so honored that he shot the cover photo.

Thanks to Michael Hacala for the back cover photo of me, and much appreciation to the great
Francis Wolffʼs Art Blakey Photo.

Artwork and illustrations by Clayton Cameron.

âÀ La Modeâ, written/arranged by Curtis Fuller

âWhat Do You Say Dr. Jâ, written/arranged by James Williams

âSo Tiredâ, written/arranged by Bobby Timmons

âETAâ, written/arranged by Bobby Watson

Tracks 1,3,4,5,6,9 âBilly Childs (Piano),
Darek Oles (Bass), Bob Sheppard (Tenor & Soprano Sax),
Gilbert Castellanos (Trumpet), Ryan Porter (Trombone),

Tracks 2,7,8 â John Beasley (Piano), Trevor Ware (Bass), Tivon Pennicott (Tenor Sax)

Clayton Cameron is a Ludwig Drum Artist, exclusively plays Zildjian Cymbals, Toca Percussion, Remo Drum Heads, Gibraltar Hardware and plays with the Clayton Cameron Drum Brush by Regal Tip.

John Beasley exclusively plays Yamaha Pianos and Native Instruments software.
Billy Childs is a Blüthner artist.