Based on my short conversation with Art Blakey (when I saw the reconstituted Hesitations last year) and from other talks he has given, this is about it. They were on Kapp through the Pied Piper connection (and they had that probably through the Cleveland connection with Shelly Haims). They were not interested in being the soul music answer to the Velvet Underground, they were a singing/performing group that was interested in making records and having hits and listening to those around them who had more experience in the recording industry. Art (and the others) started out in pre-soul vocal groups, where the MO was street corner singing and getting the attention of girls......the way to get there was out-singing the competition, not inventing new musical forms, and all the old vocal groups -going back to the Mills Brothers and the 'bird groups' - did a lot of standards, it was a given.