'S Make It (slang for 'Let's go')[1] is a recording by the hard bop Art Blakey jazz ensemble. It was recorded in Los Angeles in 1964 and issued on the Limelight label.[2][3][4] Following the departure of stars from his 1961 to 1964 band, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter and Cedar Walton, it includes previous Blakey alumni and newer players.[5] This was trombonist Curtis Fuller's last recording as a regular member of the group, though he would return to record sporadically with Blakey in the 1970s and 80s. The album was re-released on Verve in 2004.[6]
Jeffery S. McMillan has called the release one of Blakey's most underrated works and that it exemplifies his 1964–1965 work.[8] In a review in the December 1965 issue of Black World, the title track is described as "a diabolical concept, a dark image, invoking the innermost caverns of Manhattan."[1] David Rickert calls the album "a fine Messengers album and a good example of the drummer's consistently satisfying work."[6] Russ Musto referred to the release as a "return to a more soulful sound".[9] Ken Dryden stated in his Allmusic review that "It's a shame that this was the only recording by this particular lineup of the Jazz Messengers, as [John] Gilmore's strong blowing complements Morgan very well".[5]
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Production