Track Of The Day: The Egyptian (Remastered) - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (Blue Note)

The first track on the first Blue Note album I had. It was a Christmas present from my mum, and I remember getting it and playing it on the day. Myself and a few friends had been getting into jazz for a while before, but were limited to taping off other people and the local library. Blue Note, as well as Prestige and Impulse were both our visual and sonic portal to another world. This is a great track, written by Curtis Fuller who, unsurprisingly. gives himself a good trombone solo. Full of drama and atmosphere and, like all similar tracks back then, always used to take me to some imaginary New York were steam was permanently gushing out of manholes, the traffic was thick and the intrigue impenetrable.