by Scott YanowJust prior to forming the first edition of the Jazz Messengers, drummer Art Blakey led a superb quintet at Birdland for a brief gig in 1954. The band featured the great trumpeter Clifford Brown, altoist Lou Donaldson, pianist Horace Silver, and bassist Curly Russell in addition to the leader\u002Fdrummer. All of the music has since been reissued as part of a Clifford Brown box set for Mosaic, but this is the original LP. The first volume is highlighted by A Night in Tunisia, Quicksilver, and Once in a While and finds all of the participants in inspired form. Classic bop.