Jean Toussaint, Troy Miller, Jason Rebello, Byron Wallen, Daniel Casimir, Cleveland Watkiss

To commemorate the life of the great drummer and band-leader, Art Blakey, twenty five years after his passing, one time Jazz Messenger and ex-pat U.S. Virgin Islands saxophonist Jean Toussaint presents Roots and Herbs "The Blakey Project” for one night only!

Art Blakey was one of the architects of hard-bop and his legendary Blue Note albums with titles such as Night In Tunisia and The Big Beat set the bench-mark for hard-hitting soul jazz with his powerhouse drumming driving his all-star ensembles to greater and greater heights. But Blakey was more than just a great drummer, he was a renowned band-leader whose Jazz Messengers was jazz’s premier hothouse for new talent, from Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard to Wynton Marsalis and Toussant himself some of jazz’s greatest players ‘cut their teeth’ and learned their craft with the greatest Jazz Messenger of them all.

Borrowed from the Messengers Blue Note record of the same name and inspired by Toussaint's own time with Blakey's legendary Jazz Messengers, Roots and Herbs features an all-star lineup of British Jazz Musicians to explore the music of the legendary bandleader and some of his illustrious Messengers.