"Moanin'" | |
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Song by Art Blakey | |
Written | 1950s |
Composer(s) | Bobby Timmons |
Lyricist(s) | Jon Hendricks |
Language | English |
"Moanin'" is a composition by Bobby Timmons, first recorded by Art Blakey's band on the 1958 album of the same title.
"Moanin'" has a call and response melody. One account of its creation was given by Benny Golson, the tenor saxophonist in Blakey's band: Timmons had the opening eight bars, which he often played between tunes, but formed the complete song only after Golson encouraged him to add a bridge. It is played in F minor.
"Moanin'" has been recorded numerous times and has become a jazz standard.Gary Giddins stated that the song "set the music world on its ear" and that it was "part of the funky, back to roots movement that Horace Silver, [Charles] Mingus, and Ray Charles helped, in different ways, to fan."Jon Hendricks later added lyrics, and the subsequent recording by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross made the song even more popular.