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: Jazz fans are in for a real treat here as Blue Note unleash a never before heard studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. It was recorded back in 1959 at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio and has Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt all playing as part of the recording. As the title suggests, it's a breezy, super cool record with seductive trumpets and icy drums all next to neat keys that encourage you to gently bop. After months of waiting, it proves more than worth all the anticipation.
Review: American jazz tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was one of the most influential early bebop musicians alongside the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. His 1962 album Go on Blue Note was not actually recorded in a club, but in a fashion in the studio that replicated that informal environment. The legendary Rudy Van Gelder oversaw proceedings at his Van Gelder Studio and had Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on Bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Next to tunes Dexter wrote himself are covers of Cole Porter's 'Love For Sale' amongst other highlights.
Review: Even though it came on the venerated Blue Note label, Sonny Red's Out of the Blue record is somehow something of an overlooked treasure. Alto sax man Sonny Red only out this one record for the label and recorded it across two separate sessions with piano from Wynton Kelly as well as Sam Jones and Paul Chambers on bass, stickmen Roy Brooks and Jimmy Cobb. This reissue is part of the Tone Poet Series which presses up records on nice heavy wax in deluxe packaging after remastering form the original analogue master tapes so you can be sure it sounds superb.
Review: Jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch is the latest in the on going Blue Note Reissue series, Tone Poet. It was his only recording for the seminal label and is often said to be one of the best they ever put out, as well as one of Dolphy's own personal highlights. Certainly fans of 1960s avant-garde jazz will agree. Dolphy was joined by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and bassist Richard Davis amongst others, and told all players that there was no leader in the recording sessions that made up the album. That makes for a dense, busy and freeform record filled with wild playing and super musical ideas.
Review: Blue Note's Classic Vinyl series is about reissuing vital jazz records on heavyweight vinyl with all new mastering by Kevin Gray of Coherant Audio. Next to get the special treatment it deserves is Herbie Hancock's 1965 classic Maiden Voyage, which is some of the most evocative jazz to have ever been recorded. Net to Hancock, the players were all either present or past members of Miles Davis' quintet, so made for a heavy line-up. Hancock's impressionistic style is here for all to hear with the sublime compositions of 'Dolphin's Dance' and 'Maiden Voyage' and more tumultuous sounds of 'The Eye Of The Hurricane' some of the highlights.
Review: Blue Note Re:imagined is a carefully curated collection of brand-new covers of classic material from the legendary label as served up by a selection of the UK scene's most exciting young talents including Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia and Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith. For this latest 7" it's Jordan Rakei, who actually hails from Aus, but let's not get mad about that because the super smooth soul singer reaches new heights on the free flowing, heart opening 'Wind Parade'. Jazz pianist Alfa Mist takes care of the flip with a suitably cosmic exploration on 'Galaxy' that pairs live, busy drums and soaring synths with rich chords.
Review: Blue Note are on a reissuing roll, not shying from revisiting the work of their most treasured jazz acts this year. The latest in their Classic Editions comes by way of Donald Byrd, whose timeless 1975 album Places And Spaces documents the trumpeter's fearless jazz-funk fusion era. This being Blue Note, you can expect only the best rendition of this orchestral jazz-funk suite that a vinyl pressing has to offer. This version is an all-analog remaster, by legendary cutting engineer Kevin Gray, from the original tapes. Expect a thorough justice-doing of the hits, 'Dominoes' and 'Wind Parade', which boast production credits from the infamous Larry Mizell.
Review: Tina Brooks' final album was one of his most underrated. The tenor saxophonist really brought the goodness on The Waiting Game, which she record din 1961 but did not put out until 1999. The undervalued player might have played a big part in the hard bop era but only one of his Blue Note sessions ever made it out. Here he is joined by Johnny Coles on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums, and wrote five of the six tunes himself. It's a soulful sound with highlights like modal masterpieces 'Dhyana' and 'David the King.'
Review: This is a very special release indeed, for fans of Donald Byrd's 70s period and Blue Note devotees of all types. There was a heavy presence from the Blue Note roster at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival, and many of the performances were released under the Live Cookin With Blue Note at Montreux banner - Bobby Hutcherson, Bobbi Humphrey and Marlena Shaw being some notable mentions. But this set from Donald Byrd inexplicably sat on master tapes in relative obscurity for a long time and now, on what would have been Byrd's 90th birthday, this raw and urgent live performance gets a proper release. It's in the vein of his seminal Black Byrd LP, but there's a more direct attack from the band in their live form - take one listen and you'll see exactly what we mean.
Review: Extension was the last of three unique Blue Note sessions led by the singular saxophonist George Braith in the early 1960s. The album was rooted in soul jazz - with Grant Green (guitar), Billy Gardner (organ), and Clarence Johnston (drums) - but Braith's adventurous spirit led the music into unexpected realms on memorable originals like "Nut City." Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.
Review: First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings is sure to be a real thrill for fans of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. It is a never before rebased or heard recording of a show they played at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo on January 14, 1961. The group was one of the first to tour the country and enthralled caudices everywhere they played. At the time, the band was made up of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass and for this set they performed plenty of classics such as Charlie Parker's 'Now's the Time' and Thelonious Monk's 'Round About Midnight.'
Review: American alto talent Jackie McLean released his Tippin The Scales album in 1979 on the legendary Blue Note. It was a post bob record that has rather remained under the radar in the years since, but will still cost you a pretty penny if you can find a second hand copy. The Tone Poet serve brings it back to the fore with a deluxe reissue package that allows the tunes to really shine. Jackie wrote two of them while Sonny Clark write three and one is a J. Latouche and V. Duke collaboration. The record was recorded on September 28, 1962 and is one of the more traditional records in McLean's oeuvre.
Review: Sonny Clark's Cool Struttin' album is a jazz classic. The artist himself shone bright for a brief but intense period of creativity, much like greats before him such as Charlie Parker and Fats Navarro. His intricate playing and hard swing mentality makes for music filled with nuance and detail but sadly he never got the recognition he deserved during his short life (he died aged 31). He put out seven records in all on Blue Note and played with the likes of John Coltrane and Donald Byrd. This memorable session was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder and features a quintet made up of altoist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
Review: Cassandra Wilson originally released Blue Light 'til Dawn in 1993 on Blue Note. Gathering together selected covers of blues and rock classics, Wilson and her band turn them to sultry, smoky jazz pieces with an evocative, late-night mood. From Robert Johnson and Joni Mitchell to Ann Peebles and Van Morrison, there are some heavy hitters covered here, but don't overlook the original title track. Amongst everything else it shows off Gib Wharton's stunning pedal steel guitar, which lends itself to this moody hue Wilson and her cohorts conjure so effectively.
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