Art Blakey always insisted that he never gave RCA permission to record this date. Whether or not this is true is now quite irrelevant. Thankfully it was professionally taped and captures The Messengers at full gallop. I was living in Paris at the time and in December 1958, The Jazz Messengers were the hottest ticket in town whether it was in concert at the prestigious L'Olympia Music Hall, soundtracking Benny Golson's score to the movie Des Femmes Disparaissent (The Road to Shame), or appearing at Club St. Germain, where I was fortunate to be among a packed audience the night this session took place.

Featuring the precociously talented Lee Morgan (20 at the time) in full flight, this was the brand new line-up that Benny Golson put together for the great drummer which, two months earlier, recorded the glorious Moanin' album for Blue Note, and in doing so thoroughly revitalized the group. Everything you could wish for from this period is here along with a guest appearance by Kenny Clarke. Over two hours of prime hard boppery that includes ‘Moanin’', ‘Blues March’ (both soon to be local hit singles), ‘Whisper Not’ plus bebop classics ‘Now’s The Time' and a thunderous ‘A Night In Tunisia’, this refreshed line-up also benefitted from the presence of soul-based pianist Bobby Timmons (who composed ‘Moanin’') and the firm hand of bassist Jymie Merritt as they get to grips with their new repertoire. Though his tenure with the Messengers was short lived, Golson's all round contribution should never be underestimated for without doubt, this remains one of the finest moments in the Messengers' illustrious canon.