Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Kendrick Scott has been holding it down as a leading contemporary jazz drummer in the US for more than a decade, and he returns to Blue Note with a new album after 2019's knockout A Wall Becomes A Bridge. His innate sense of optimism comes through in the music, as he seeks on Corridors to highlight the things that connect us people sharing a world. It is of course a response to the isolation of the pandemic years, but also a deeper reflection on what it means to ride the wave. Working with a pared down trio featuring saxophonist Walter Smith III and bassist Reuben Rogers, the Hoston-based sticksman lays down another striking statement that builds on his ever-progressing legacy.

Review: Celebration, Volume 1 is the inaugural release in a series of archival recordings curated by the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter before his passing in 2023. This exhilarating 2014 live recording captures Shorter's acclaimed quartet, featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade, at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. The adventurous set includes favorites such as 'Zero Gravity,' 'Smilin' Through,' 'Orbits,' 'Lotus,' and 'She Moves Through The Fair.' Carolina Shorter, in the album's liner notes, recalls how Wayne immersed himself in unreleased music in late 2022, making detailed notes on each track. His excitement was palpable when he first heard the Stockholm concert, exclaiming, "this is the album!" Initially envisioning the collection as Unidentified Flying Objects due to the innovative notes played, Wayne ultimately decided to name it Celebration to honor life. The album is not just a live recording but a vivid celebration of Shorter's enduring legacy and musical vision.

Review: Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil, recorded during his tenure with Miles Davis and released on Blue Note, stands as a pinnacle of his solo work. While Shorter's tenure with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and Weather Report alone would secure his place in jazz history, this album underscores his genius as a bandleader and composer. Blending hard bop with avant-garde influences, Speak No Evil features a potent lineup: Shorter on tenor sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums. The album strikes a balance between traditional hard bop and more exploratory sounds. Tracks like the intense, fast-paced title piece 'Speak No Evil' showcase the ensemble's dynamic interplay, while 'Dance Cadaverous' offers a moody, atmospheric contrast with its subtle avant-garde touches. Each composition, penned by Shorter, highlights his exceptional skill as a writer and performer. Speak No Evil is impactful for illustrating Shorter's enduring brilliance in jazz.

Review: Celebration, Volume 1 marks the beginning of a series of archival treasures curated by the iconic saxophonist Wayne Shorter before his passing in 2023. This electrifying 2014 live recording captures Shorter's renowned quartetifeaturing pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Bladeiat the Stockholm Jazz Festival. The set includes dynamic interpretations of 'Zero Gravity,' 'Smilin' Through,' 'Orbits,' 'Lotus,' and 'She Moves Through The Fair,' each showcasing the group's fearless improvisation. Carolina Shorter's liner notes reveal the deep personal connection Wayne had with this project. As he meticulously sifted through unreleased recordings, the Stockholm performance stood out out to him strongly Originally envisioned as Unidentified Flying Objects to reflect the otherworldly nature of the music, the collection was later renamed Celebration as Wayne embraced the urgency of honouring life's vibrancy.

Review: Wayne Shorter's Juju, featuring McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in August 1964 and released in July 1965, resonating with profound influences from John Coltrane. The album's allure lies not merely in technical strength but in its emotive depth, transcending analytical descriptions. Shorter's tenor saxophone exudes a brooding intensity, marked by sharp tonality and deliberate, weighty phrasing, punctuated by rapid flourishes into higher registers that convey a sense of restrained urgency. His compositions, characterised by hypnotic, repetitive motifs, unfold a richly textured musical adventure. The interplay between Shorter and Tyner on Juju reveals a unique dynamic, distinct from Shorter's collaborations with Herbie Hancock on other Blue Note recordings. The album shows varying ensemble configurations across Shorter's discography, each contributing to its nuanced musical landscape. This Blue Note Classic Series reissue, mastered from the original tapes, preserves the album's timeless appeal.

Review: Now more than 80 years old and onto its umpteenth reissue after the latest was a 75th anniversary edition in 2015, Wayne Shorter's Adam's Apple remains as classic as ever. This Classic Vinyl Series issue is all-analogue and mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes then pressed on 180g vinyl. Next to sax from Wayne himself, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers joined the ranks to help cook up these serious grooving and cool-cat tunes. It was originally released in 1966 and still stands out as one of his greatest ever albums.

Review: Wayne Shorter stepped out as a Blue Note artist on his masterful 1964 label debut Night Dreamer, a sublime set that signalled the arrival of one of the most important saxophonists and composers in jazz history. Timeless Shorter compositions are given transcendent performances by a quintet with Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, and Elvin Jones. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Review: Wayne Shorter's Juju, released in 1966, remains a quintessential work of modern jazz that now gets reissued on CD via Universal Japan. The groundbreaking work showcases Shorter's exceptional compositional prowess and innovative approach to jazz with a stellar lineup including pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Cecil McBee, drummer Elvin Jones, and legendary saxophonist Shorter himself. It's packed with a seamless blend of intricate melodies and dynamic rhythms and tracks like 'House of Jade' and 'Yes or No' highlight Shorter's masterful use of modal jazz to create a soundscape that's both complex and deeply engaging. The album's blend of subtle harmonies and powerful improvisations solidifies its status as a timeless classic.

Review: Between 1964-1967 the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter created a treasured and deeply influential body of work, among which 1967's Schizophrenia lay. On this meandering but impassioned jazz dedication to an often misunderstood mental state, Shorter arrived at the pinnacle of post-bop and gazed out at the horizons around him, producing one of his most complete and stylistically diverse artistic statements with a sextet of like-minded musical adventurers. James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums; all came together to play some of Shorter's most enduring themes, including the unforgettable groove of 'Tom Thumb', the evocative 'Go', and the ballad 'Miyako'.

Review: 1964 was a big year for Wayne Shorter. To start with he was still part of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and played on some fo their key albums and he also made his solo label debut before joining the iconic Miles Davis Quintet, cementing a line-up that would become one of the seminal bands in jazz history. Speak No Evil was a record he made in Van Gelder's studio on Christmas Eve 1964 and is a real masterpiece. Here six of the shortened originals are presented on a 180g vinyl as part of the all analog Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition series.

Review: An album that stands as one of American jazz pianist Silver's last great albums for Blue Note. Recorded in early 1968 with two mostly different quintets, the album features trumpeter Charles Tolliver, alternating tenor saxophonists Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, bassists Bob Cranshaw and John Williams and drummers Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham. Silver's rhythmic, economical piano style is often described as funky and nowhere is this more evident than on the album's standout opener, 'Psychedelic Sally'. With its jubilant horn theme and funky Memphis soul-inspired bass riff, the track is a rollicking seven-minute classic that blends 60s funk with 50s bop. The rest of the album maintains a playful spirit. 'Rain Dance' presents a campy, American Indian-style theme, while 'Jungle Juice' offers an exotic, tribal flavour. The warm, loose-swinging title track, 'Serenade to a Soul Sister' and the ethereal 'Kindred Spirits' add depth to the set. The album closes with the gentle piano trio ballad 'Next Time I Fall in Love'. While the first half of the album leans into a bluesy, funky vibe with Turrentine's soulful saxophone, the latter half shifts to a more boppish feel with Maupin, is a different but equally engaging dynamic. Through it all, Silver's philosophy of keeping politics and anger out of his music shines, delivering a joyous and tightly performed soul-jazz classic.

Review: A decade into his career, Horace Silver recorded what many consider one of his finest albums at the renowned Van Gelder Studio. Joined by Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and Roy Brooks, the session marked a key transition for his quintet. This album was released a year before his iconic hit 'Song for My Father,' which was indeed a tribute to his Cape Verdean father. This reissue for the Blue Note Classic series has been remastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes so it offers an all-analogue experience and delivers superb sound quality that honours Silver's legacy.

Review: Blue Note continues to serve up reissues of its most classic albums and this from Jimmy Smith user is one of them. Known for being a legendary player of the Hammond B3 organ, he recorded a couple of soul jazz classics in Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack, both on the same day in April 1960 at the famous Van Gelder Studio. Smith lead the way with his self taught organ skills alongside Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums. This album features the hard hitter 'Jumpin' the Blues' amongst many other gems.

Review: Legendary Hammond organ player Lonnie Liston Smith had a very special run at New York's Jazz Standard in New York in 2017 as part of a celebratory 75th birthday series. The Breathe album captures the magic of the residency with an expanded line-up of talents including Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, drums from Johnathan Blake, Jason Marshall and John Ellis on saxophone, plus Sean Jones on trumpet and Robin Eubanks on trombone. He recorded his All In My Mind album in the same week and so was in fine form across all of these spaced out jazz sounds. The album is bookended by tracks featuring the one and only Iggy Pop as well as a cover of Donovan's 1966 hit 'Sunshine Superman'.

Review: Lonnie Smith's 1970 opus Drives manifests an exhilarating blend of adventure and unyielding grooves. Featuring a stellar lineup with Dave Hubbard on tenor sax and Ronnie Cuber on bari sax, Smith reinterprets classics like 'Twenty-Five Miles' and 'Spinning Wheel' while breathing new life into Miles Davis' 'Seven Steps to Heaven.' This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition offers a pristine listening experience, being all-analogue and mastered by Kevin Gray from the original tapes, pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl at Optimal. A vital addition for any jazz aficionado, it captures Smith's artistic spirit brilliantly.