Blakey, Art (redirected from Blakey)

Blakey, Art

 later Abdullah Ibn Buhaina

(born Oct. 11, 1919, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.—died Oct. 16, 1990, New York, N.Y.) U.S. jazz drummer and bandleader. He worked with Fletcher Henderson's big band before joining Billy Eckstine's forward-looking ensemble (1944–47). Blakey's prodigious technique and thunderous attack assured his role as one of the principal drum stylists in modern jazz. With Horace Silver, Blakey formed the Jazz Messengers in 1954, and the group, with its aggressive blues-inflected approach, became the archetypal hard-bop unit (see bebop).

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Blakey, (Arthur) Art (1919–90) jazz musician; born in Pittsburgh, Pa. An influential drummer, he performed with Billy Eckstine's big band between 1944–47 and freelanced on numerous recordings. From 1954 until his death, he led the Jazz Messengers, a combo he consistently renewed with outstanding young players. He was a proselytizer for jazz and a leading exponent of "hard bop," an explosive style characterized by a strong backbeat and bluesy lyricism.