December 18, 2019
2019 was a banner year for Blue Note Records as we celebrated our 80th Anniversary with the launch of 2 new vinyl reissue series, the award-winning documentary Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes, a Sunday Arts & Leisure feature in The New York Times, a Blue Note 80 tour, acclaimed new releases from Joel Ross , Kendrick Scott Oracle, James Carter, Jacky Terrasson, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, and much more.
Founded on January 6, 1939 when German immigrant and passionate Jazz fan Alfred Lion produced his first recording session in New York City, Blue Note has gone on to become the most-respected and longest-running Jazz label in the world – The Finest In Jazz Since 1939 – tracing the entire history of the music from Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and Fusion, and remains the leading label dedicated to documenting today’s vibrant and creatively thriving global Jazz scene.
Highlights of Blue Note’s 80th Anniversary celebrations:
- Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: “Tone Poet” Joe Harley—co-founder and co-producer of the acclaimed Music Matters audiophile vinyl series—is the producer of this series of all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray and vinyl is manufactured at RTI. The titles were handpicked by Harley and cover lesser-known Blue Note classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note catalog. We’ve announced the continuation of the Tone Poet series in 2020, details here.
- Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series: A series of mid-priced 180g vinyl releases in standard packaging curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman with albums presented by themes: Blue Note Debuts, Blue Grooves, Great Reid Miles Covers, Blue Note Live, and Blue Note Drummer Leaders. The releases are all-analog whenever an analog source is available with Kevin Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes, and vinyl is pressed at Optimal. The Blue Note 80 series continues through April 2020.
- Blue Note Review: The 2nd edition of our vinyl boxset subscription series Blue Note Review: Volume Two – Spirit & Time is currently available at bluenotereview.com. Curated by Don Was, the set encapsulates the past, present, and future of Blue Note by celebrating the brilliant late-career albums of the legendary Tony Williams with a tribute album by current drummers, as well as audiophile reissues of Africaine by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and Patterns by Bobby Hutcherson, the book Spirit & Time: Jazz Drummers On Their Art, the zine Out of the Blue, a set of Topps Blue Note Trading Cards, and a Blue Note carbon fiber anti-static record brush.
- Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes Documentary: Director Sophie Huber’s acclaimed award-winning documentary Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and has since played at over 50 international film festivals and had successful theatrical runs in New York, Los Angeles, and London this year in addition to an airing on the BBC. The film has been given a DVD, Blu-ray, and digital release.
- Blue Note: The 1500 Series on Apple Music: Apple Music celebrated our 80th Anniversary with the feature Blue Note: The 1500 Series, an exploration of our fabled 1500 Series that presents a collector’s savvy curation of 10 classic albums in studio quality sound as Apple Digital Masters and the featured playlist Blue Note Records Essentials.
- Jazz Classics Blue Note Edition on Spotify: Spotify’s dedicated Blue Note Records playlist Jazz Classics Blue Note Edition expanded to 80 tracks in honor of our 80th anniversary.
- The History of Blue Note on TIDAL: TIDAL celebrated our 80th Anniversary with a series of new playlists that told the musical story of Blue Note
- Canvas Art Prints of Classic Blue Note Album Covers: A new series of limited-edition wall art celebrated the iconic imagery of Blue Note’s classic era with archival-quality, framed canvas prints in dynamic scale (22”x22”, 32”x32”, 42”x42”) that present the legendary album cover designs of Reid Miles and photography of Francis Wolff. 12 album covers are currently available in the Blue Note Store.
- Vinyl Me, Please Anthology: The Story of Blue Note Records: A special partnership with the record club Vinyl Me, Please who presented an exclusive, limited-edition boxset that sold out in under 3 hours. The Anthology experience included a 6-album, 7-LP premium boxset plus a private fan community and an exclusive podcast series, which took listeners on a 6-week journey into the history and music of jazz’s most legendary label as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.
- Blue Note X G-SHOCK G-STEEL Timepiece: Casio G-SHOCK released a limited-edition Blue Note Records G-STEEL men’s watch made in honor of our 80th Anniversary. The unique timepiece nods to both iconic brands by featuring bright blue accents and engravings of the G-SHOCK and Blue Note logos. The watch is available for purchase at select jewelers, fashion boutiques, the G-SHOCK Soho Store and gshock.com.
- Blue Note Records 80th Anniversary Tour: A triple-bill of current Blue Note artists—Kandace Springs, James Francies, and the James Carter Organ Trio—embarked on a U.S. tour of performing arts centers and theaters around the country in celebration of our 80th Anniversary.
- Blue Note at Sea: The sold-out 2019 Blue Note at Sea sailed to the Caribbean in January with hosts Don Was, Robert Glasper, and Marcus Miller featuring artist performances, conversations on the history of Blue Note, and screenings of Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes. The 2020 sailing will feature Glasper, Miller, Gregory Porter, Kamasi Washington, Christian McBride, and more.
