"Split Kick" is a blazing opener from A Night at Birdland Vol. 1, the landmark 1954 live recording by the Art Blakey Quintet. Composed by Horace Silver as a contrafact on "There Will Never Be Another You," the tune is taken at a driving tempo above 220 bpm in E-flat, with a 32-bar ABAB' form. Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson opens the solo sequence with three fiery choruses rooted in the Charlie Parker vocabulary, followed by an extraordinary four-chorus statement from the 23-year-old Clifford Brown, whose trumpet playing already displayed the technical mastery and melodic brilliance that would make him a legend. Silver contributes three swinging piano choruses of his own, and Blakey closes with a characteristically explosive drum solo. Recorded live at Birdland in New York City, the performance captures the electric atmosphere of the famed jazz club at a moment when hard bop was being forged in real time. The quintet's energy is palpable, with each soloist feeding off the crowd's enthusiasm and Blakey's propulsive drumming. This recording documents one of the great working bands of the 1950s at the peak of its powers.
