Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: Free for All (Blue Note, 1965)

One of Blakey’s strongest lineups—Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, and Reggie Workman—attempted to inject the New Thing into the band’s style. The drummer/leader, however, took them in hand, channeling their youthful energy into an album that sounds as firmly like the Messengers as ever (except for its extra fire). MICHAEL J. WEST

Learn more about Free for All on Amazon and Apple Music.