Can someone give me more information about Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers?

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3. Just about anyone who was anybody in jazz

Went through the Art Blakey school of music. He was an amazing discoverer of young talent. And he loved to proselytize about jazz.

Here's a great story I hear about him. He was on tour in the south with his band. He stopped in a small town and there was a funeral going on. Someone was up on the podium, talking about the dead person. When his eulogy was done, he invited others to come up to the stand. So Art goes up to the mike and says, "Well, if no one has anything else to say about the deceased, I'd like to say a few words about jazz." Supposedly a true story!