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A Night in Tunisia
Studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Released	May 1961
Recorded	August 7 and 14, 1960
Studio	Van Gelder (Englewood Cliffs)
Genre	Hard bop
Length	51:39
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Alfred Lion
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers chronology
The Big Beat (1960) A Night in Tunisia (1961) Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1961)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
DownBeat
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
Tom Hull	B+

A Night in Tunisia is a studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, released in May 1961 through Blue Note Records. It was recorded in August 1960 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

In the original liner notes by Barbara J. Gardner, she wrote: "This album is a prime example of Blakey's expressed desire to showcase his young talent. Not only is there extended solo room for the musicians; further, all but the title tune were written and arranged by the talented junior jazz citizens in his group".

Reception

The contemporaneous DownBeat reviewer praised the soloing, and highlighted Blakey's playing on "Kozo's Waltz": "His solo is truly a remarkable demonstration of modern drumming. This is searing passion and astounding energy, not to mention impeccable time".

Track listing

1. "A Night in Tunisia" (D. Gillespie, F. Paparelli) – 11:16
2. "Sincerely Diana" (Wayne Shorter) – 6:50
3. "So Tired" (Bobby Timmons) – 6:39
4. "Yama" (Lee Morgan) – 6:23
5. "Kozo's Waltz" (Lee Morgan) – 6:49

1989 remastered release:

1. "A Night in Tunisia" (D. Gillespie, F. Paparelli) – 11:11
2. "Sincerely Diana" (Wayne Shorter) – 6:47
3. "Sincerely Diana" (alternative take) (Wayne Shorter) – 6:56
4. "So Tired" (Bobby Timmons) – 6:36
5. "Yama" (Lee Morgan) – 6:20
6. "Kozo's Waltz" (Lee Morgan) – 6:45
7. "When Your Lover Has Gone" (Einar Aaron Swan) – 6:46

2013 Japanese SHM-CD:

1. "A Night in Tunisia" – 11:16
2. "Sincerely Diana" – 6:50
3. "So Tired" – 6:39
4. "Yama" – 6:23
5. "Kozo's Waltz" – 6:49
6. "When Your Lover Has Gone" – 6:46
7. "Sincerely Diana"  – 6:56

Personnel

• Art Blakey – drums
• Lee Morgan – trumpet
• Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
• Bobby Timmons – piano
• Jymie Merritt – bass

References

1. Yanow, Scott. A Night in Tunisia - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
2. ^ Tynan, John (September 28, 1961). "Art Blakey: A Night in Tunisia". DownBeat. Vol. 28, no. 20. p. 28.
3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 25. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
4. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
5. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940–50s) (Reference)". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
6. "Billboard". May 15, 1961.

• 1961 albums
• Art Blakey albums
• The Jazz Messengers albums
• Blue Note Records albums
• Albums produced by Alfred Lion
• Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio
• Albums produced by Michael Cuscuna