Roots & Herbs

Roots & Herbs
Studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Released	October 1970[1]
Recorded	February 12, 1961 (#8-9) February 18, 1961 (#1, 2, 4-6) May 27, 1961 (#3, 7) Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre	Jazz
Length	42:11 original LP 61:52 CD reissue
Label	Blue Note BST 84347
Producer	Alfred Lion
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers chronology
The Freedom Rider (1961) Roots & Herbs (1961) The Witch Doctor (1961)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]

Roots & Herbs is a jazz album by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, recorded in 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1970. The CD reissue features three alternate takes, two of which originally released in 1979 on Pisces.

Track listing

All compositions by Wayne Shorter.

1. "Ping Pong" – 7:06
2. "Roots and Herbs" – 6:05
3. "The Back Sliders" – 7:51
4. "United" – 7:29
5. "Look at the Birdie" – 6:45
6. "Master Mind" – 6:55

Bonus trackson CD reissue:

7. "The Back Sliders" (Alternate Take) - 6:57
8. "Ping Pong" (Alternate Version) - 5:58
9. "United" (Alternate Version) - 6:48

Personnel

• Art Blakey — drums, leader
• Lee Morgan — trumpet
• Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
• Bobby Timmons (#1, 3, 5-9), Walter Davis, Jr. (#2, 4) — piano
• Jymie Merritt — double bass

References

1. Billboard Oct 24, 1970
2. Roots & Herbs at AllMusic
3. Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 25. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.