The
Jazz Messengers were a
jazz ensemble founded by
Art Blakey in
1955. He had already used the name for an album he recorded with
Horace Silver,
Kenny Dorham[?],
Doug Watkins[?], and
Hank Mobley[?], and in 1955 he established a permanent group with that name. The name may have religious significance, since Blakey was a
Muslim. Over the years the band included
Jackie McLean,
Freddie Hubbard,
Wayne Shorter[?],
Cedar Walton[?],
Lee Morgan,
Benny Golson[?],
Bobby Timmons[?], and
Jymie Merritt. It is now widely regarded as an important training ground for many of the best young players of the
1950s and
1960s.