Not only is the group on Mosaic arguably the greatest version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, but it is one of the finest bands of all time in any type of music. Freddie Hubbard had just joined the Jazz Messengers while Curtis Fuller had left the Jazztet for the opportunity to play with the powerhouse ensemble. With the frequently blazing tenor playing of Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Jymie Merritt and the explosive Blakey, this was not a band for lightweights.

Not only did the Jazz Messengers have five major soloists but Hubbard, Shorter, Walton and Fuller were inventive composers. On 1961's Mosaic, each of those four masters contribute at least one song apiece. Such unforgettable numbers as Fuller's haunting "Arabia," Shorter's "Children Of The Night" and Hubbard's "Crisis," along with the exciting and very individual solos, make Mosaic into a superb effort that ranks as one of the most vital recordings of the era.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.

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