This 1966 Blue Note album was actually Bobby Hutcherson’s first quartet recording. Joined once again by label-mate Herbie Hancock, Hutcherson wrote six of the seven tracks (the only exception is a nice take of Hancock’s Maiden Voyage) on this nice low-key lyrical hard bop outing that showcases the talents of all involved.
Released 1966 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # BLP 4231
Players:
Bobby Hutcherson – Vibes, Marimba
Herbie Hancock – Piano
Bob Cranshaw – Bass
Joe Chambers – Drums
After posting “Shades of Green” the other day, I figured I would preview some vintage Grant Green. The guitarist is in prime form on this 1963 Blue Note release. The Duke Pearson penned title track is a stone-cold classic, as is the sextet’s take on the Modern Jazz Quartet’s timeless Django. Green and Pearson are joined by Blue Note stablemates Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson, and while this is a rather large group session for Green at this point in his career, the players and song selection result in one of the great records of the hard bop era.
Released 1963 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # BLP 4154
Players:
Grant Green – Guitar
Joe Henderson – Tenor Sax
Duke Pearson – Piano
Bobby Hutcherson – Vibes
Bob Cranshaw – Bass
Al Harewood – Drums
This 1968 record was Reuben Wilson’s debut on Blue Note. Employing a quartet, Wilson produced a prime example of the soul-jazz groove records that were making the rounds at this time. While this album is not quite as well known as the next few LPs that Wilson would make for Blue Note, it is still a great jazz recording that has aged very well over the years.
This album is currently out-of-print.
Released 1968 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # BST 84295
Players:
Reuben Wilson – Organ
Trevor Lawrence – Tenor Sax
Malcom Riddick – Guitar
Tommy Derrick – Drums
This RARE album from Grant Green is a soulful and groovy burner of a record. Joined on the vibes by Billy Wooten, the pair keep the music in the cut even on the spacier and mellower tracks. Made up mostly of standards both new and old (although the one Green original California Green is probably the strongest track), this is definitely not the sound that made Grant Green a soul-jazz legend, but it is a still a nice under appreciated gem.
This album is currently out-of-print.
Released 1971 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # BST 84413
Players:
Grant Green – Guitar
Joe Newman – Trumpet
Joe Wilder – Trumpet
Victor Paz – Trumpet
Jimmy Sedlar – Trumpet
Billy Wooten – Vibes
Emmanuel Riggins – Electric Piano, Clavinet
Wilton Felder – Electric Bass
Harry DiVito – Trombone
Dick Hickson – Bass Trombone
Jim Buffington – French Horn
Phil Bodner – Woodwinds
Romeo Penque – Woodwinds
George Marge – Woodwinds
John Leone – Woodwinds
Nesbert “Stix” Hooper – Drums
King Errisson – Conga
Harold Caldwell – Percussion
For this 2008 release, the ultra-talented pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba put together a group made up of veterans of the New York City jazz scene, in particular the saxophonist Yosvani Terry and drummer Marcus Gilmore. The music on “Avatar” is rhythmically complex, funky, forward looking and infused with the sound of Latin Jazz – very often all in the same song. This is the sound of modern jazz at it’s finest.
Released 2008 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # 84185
Players:
Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Piano
Yosvani Terry – Tenor, Alto, Soprano Saxophones
Mike Rodriguez – Trumpet
Matt Brewer – Bass
Marcus Gilmore – Drummer
Simon666 over at neverenoughrhodes turned me on to this album posted over at Musical Schizophrenia. It is by DJ Mitsu The Beats and is a great mix of classic Blue Note tracks from the 1970′s (the CD is only available as a very expensive import, if you can find it at all). I have previewed a few tracks below, including a nice Roots remix of Montara. For fans of 70′s Blue Note and/or hip-hop, the whole album can be found here.
Bobby Hutcherson – Montara (Roots Remix) from “Blue Impressions”
Ronnie Foster – Tuesday Heartbreak from “Blue Impressions”
This was Wayne Shorter’s first album for Blue Note and contains six original tracks from a guy who would become one of the most important composers of jazz in the 1960′s. The 1964 album has a slight Coltrane influence, but it definitely shows Shorter finding his own style (after five very succesful years with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers). A classic Blue Note album that features a great line-up including Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones.
Released 1964 : Blue Note Records : Catalog # BLP 4173
Players:
Wayne Shorter – Tenor Sax
Lee Morgan – Trumpet
McCoy Tyner – Piano
Reggie Workman – Bass
Elvin Jones – Drums
This is a performance of “Cantaloupe Island” from the “One Night with Blue Note” film celebrating the historic concert in 1985 that brought together Blue Note Records legends to celebrate the revival of the label by Bruce Lundvall and Michael Cuscuna. This performance certainly features legendary players: Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Tony Williams!
An incomparable classic by Horace Silver, this 1959 Blue Note recording features his classic quintet (with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor and Louis Hayes) at their absolute peak. Featuring all but one Silver composition, the album has at least two tracks that have become modern jazz standards (Peace, Sister Sadie) and there is not really a weak track to be found. While it is a futile argument to try and find Silver’s best record, “Blowin’ The Blues Away” is a masterpiece from start to finish and has to be heard by anyone interested in the history of jazz music.
Released 1959 : Blue Note Records : Catalog #BLP 4017
Players:
Horace Silver – Piano
Junior Cook – Tenor Sax
Blue Mitchell – Trumpet
Gene Taylor – Bass
Louis Hayes – Drums
The Blue Note 7, appearing through Sunday night at Birdland, upholds an extremely clear agenda with crisp results. Assembled as a tie-in to the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records, the group has an album, “Mosaic,” featuring new versions of classic tunes from the label’s catalog. And this week’s run concludes a tour that began at the start of this year, hitting 50 cities across the country. There’s reason to trust that the ensemble — a coalition of bandleaders, almost to a man — has established its own sound and footing.
That’s largely true, judging by its animated late set on Tuesday. Beginning and ending strong, with just a momentary lull in between, the Blue Note 7 fulfilled its mandate with precision and more than a whiff of style. There were good, bracing solos all around, especially by the trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. The rhythm section, led by the pianist Bill Charlap, worked impeccably.
Still, there was a hint of creative constraint to the band’s output, which may have had little to do with the musicians themselves. While the recorded legacy of Blue Note reaches back 70 years, the set spanned only a decade, with songs that originally appeared on records between 1958 and 1967. You can hardly fault a decision to focus on the label’s commercial and creative heyday, but it seems to have placed a rigid grid on the group. Full Article…
