The Jazz Messengers: Benny Golson (tenor sax), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Bobby Timmons (piano), Jymie Merritt (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). From the album Moanin’ (1959).
Bobby Timmons was an American pianist and composer. He began his career playing with Kenny Dorham Jazz Prophets’ band, Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt and Maynard Ferguson. He then worked in the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers group for two separate periods, and in between played with Cannonball Adderley. For Blakey he wrote “Moanin’” and for Adderley “This Here” and “Dat Dere”, which were a great success.
Bobby Timmons
When Timmons left Blakey, he formed his own trios with which he toured and recorded, but he didn’t gain the recognition he deserved. He was very involved with the soul jazz style, which he helped to found. His addiction to drugs and alcohol contributed to the decline of his career until he finally died of cirrhosis in 1974 at the age of 38.
Bobby Timmons
The theme consists of three movements that Blakey plays with mallets, which mimics the sound of thunder. As an introduction a cymbal sounds followed by a drum, Golson and Morgan intervene briefly, and then the drum sounds again with the cymbals. The first movement begins at a good pace with continuous interventions by Blakey. Morgan makes a brief solo, while the drum sounds omnipresent, and Golson replaces it with an energetic solo. Next Timmons enters with fast and tense phrases. Blakey comes back with a long solo. In the second movement Blakey plays the edges of a drum with the drumstick and consists of the execution of a pleasant melody, and the third movement is a long theme with all the arrangements established beforehand.
