JAZZ REVIEWS : Ex-Messengers Salute Blakey

Despite the fact that the late drummer Art Blakey never wrote a tune, you could say there’s an “Art Blakey Songbook,” comprised of classics composed by members of his Jazz Messengers.

Tuesday night at Catalina in Hollywood, four ex-Messengers, who’ll be performing through Sunday, dusted off some of those gems, delivering a zesty tribute to Blakey. Pianist Cedar Walton, saxophonist Javon Jackson, trumpeter Philip Harper and bassist Essiet Okun Essiet, along with drummer Louis Hayes, offered spirited, ear-pleasing versions of Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not” and “Along Came Betty,” Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’ ” and Walton’s “Plexis,” proving once again how durable these choice vehicles of the ‘50s and ‘60s are.

Walton was the group’s standout, developing solos that were marked by their singularity. Yes, he revealed influences of pianists from Bud Powell to Timmons to McCoy Tyner, but what emerged was an individual style. Walton’s way of playing rich, locked-hands passages was memorable, as if he were spraying colorful notes all over.

Jackson and Harper, 30 years Walton’s junior, are still evolving players, and their approaches reflect the styles of other artists--Harper of Lee Morgan, Jackson of Sonny Rollins. Still, in the past year both men have taken their improvisational facility to a new and invigorating level. Hayes, another ace veteran, and Essiet fit tightly with Walton in providing bright backdrops for the soloists.