Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Blue Moon Over Paris: ORTF Recordings 1963-1968 [RSD Black Friday 2026]

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Blue Moon Over Paris: ORTF Recordings 1963-1968 (2LP / 180g Vinyl)

Two never-before-released complete sets from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, both recorded in Paris. The first, from 1963 at the Olympia Theatre, features a stellar lineup: Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton and Reggie Workman. Highlights include a striking arrangement of "Moon River" and an extraordinary take on Duke Ellington's "Caravan."

The second set, taped in 1968 at Salle Pleyel, finds Blakey with Bill Hardman, Julian Priester, Billy Harper, Ronnie Mathews and Lawrence Evans, stretching out on the rarely heard "Blues for Eros" and a dazzling "Moanin'."

Transferred from the original tape reels preserved at INA and restored and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, this limited 180-gram 2LP set includes an extensive insert with rare photographs and new liner notes.