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75th CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE WITH BLUE NOTE BOOK, "OUR POINT OF VIEW" SUPERGROUP, EVENTS IN MONTEREY, LONDON & PARIS
September 10 2014
Blue Note Records anniversary celebrations are still in full swing as we head into the Fall of our 75th year. In addition to new releases from Jason Moran, Otis Brown III, Ryan Adams, and Kandace Springs coming out this Autumn — as well as the continuation of our vinyl reissue series — the label will also be honored with the release of the book Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression, as well as events at Monterey Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, and the dedicated Blue Note Xperia Lounge Festival in Paris, all of whom will present Our Point of View, a Blue Note supergroup consisting of Robert Glasper, Lionel Loueke, Ambrose Akinmusire, Marcus Strickland, Derrick Hodge, and Kendrick Scott.
BLUE NOTE: UNCOMPROMISING EXPRESSION TO BE PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER
November will see the worldwide release of Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression, the first official illustrated history of Blue Note Records, authored by Richard Havers and including forewords by Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, and Blue Note President Don Was. Commemorating our 75th anniversary, the beautiful 400-page hardcover book celebrates over seven decades of extraordinary music, and Blue Note’s ongoing commitment to “Uncompromising Expression,” the tenet set forth by founder Alfred Lion, a German immigrant who came to America to pursue his dreams and his love of music. Tracing the evolution of jazz from the boogie woogie and hot jazz of the 1930s, through bebop, hard-bop, the avant-garde and fusion, to the eclectic mix Blue Note releases today, the book also narrates a complex social history from the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany to the developments in music and technology in the late 20th century. Featuring classic album artwork, unseen contact sheets, rare ephemera from the Blue Note Archives, commentary from some of the biggest names in jazz today, and feature reviews of seventy-five key albums, this is the definitive book on the legendary label. Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression is available for pre-order now.
OUR POINT OF VIEW SUPERGROUP TO PLAY MONTEREY, PARIS & LONDON
The creative young voices of Jazz have been the lifeblood of Blue Note Records throughout its storied 75 year history, from Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock to Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson, all of whom made their debut albums for the legendary label. Our Point of View is a supergroup that celebrates the vitality of Blue Note in honor of our 75th anniversary by looking ahead and assembling the leading young artists on the Blue Note roster who steadfastly continue to move Jazz forward. Featuring keyboardist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist Derrick Hodge, and drummer Kendrick Scott, the band’s repertoire draws from each of these artists’ own remarkable catalogs as well new spins on Blue Note classics. Our Point of View will perform select shows this Fall including Monterey Jazz Festival (9/20), Blue Note Xperia Lounge Festival in Paris (11/20), and London Jazz Festival (11/22). Monterey Jazz Festival will also present an exhibition and panel discussion on the legacy of Blue Note moderated by Ashley Kahn and featuring Bobby Hutcherson, Robert Glasper and Don Was. The Blue Note Xperia Lounge Festival in Paris runs from November 18-23 with additional performances by Gregory Porter, Jason Moran, and others.
BLUE NOTE PARTNERS WITH SONOS
Blue Note has announced a partnership with Sonos – an innovator in wireless home audio products that let you stream all your favorite music to any room in your home in high fidelity sound – that kicks off with a dedicated Blue Note Channel on the Sonos system & will also include a one-of-a-kind Blue Note exhibition at the Sonos Studio in LA (September 10-October 24), artist performances & more to come! Visit sonos.com for more info.
BLUE NOTE 75 iPAD APP
Blue Note 75 is a new app for iPad now available exclusively on the App Store. Blue Note 75 allows fans to approach our catalog in multiple ways including an interactive timeline of cover art flow which traces the label’s evolution. Users can play previously-owned Blue Note music in-app or directly purchase music via iTunes.com/BlueNote. Additionally, premium subscribers of music streaming services Spotify, Rdio and Deezer can stream music from within the app itself making it effortlessly & excitingly easy to explore and discover music spanning the entire history of the label.
JASON MORAN – ALL RISE: A JOYFUL ELEGY FOR FATS WALLER
On September 16, acclaimed pianist Jason Moran will release All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller, a collaboration with the vocalist Meshell Ndegeocello that recasts the music of the legendary jazz entertainer Fats Waller as a modern dance party. The album—which was produced by Ndegeocello and Don Was—is the ninth in a formidable catalog that Moran has been building on Blue Note since 1999. Stream the album in its entirety this week at NPR Music ahead of its release.
OTIS BROWN III – THE THOUGHT OF YOU
Drummer Otis Brown III – an invaluable sideman with the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, Oliver Lake, Somi, and others – will release his debut album The Thought of You on September 23 via Revive/Blue Note, a new partnership between Revive Music and Blue Note Records. Brown’s maiden voyage is co-produced by labelmate Derrick Hodge and features an impressive roll call of artists including a core band consisting of pianist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, saxophonist John Ellis, and bassist Ben Williams, with organist Shedrick Mitchell and guitarist Nir Felder making special appearances as well as singers Bilal, Gretchen Parlato, and Nikki Ross.
RYAN ADAMS – RYAN ADAMS
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams just released his new self-produced, self-titled album September 9 on Pax Am/Blue Note. The album features the lead single “Gimme Something Good” which is currently Top 5 at AAA radio. Rolling Stone called Ryan Adams “the most confident record he’s made since the early 2000s”
KANDACE SPRINGS TO RELEASE DEBUT EP
One in a million musicians can say that they were invited by Prince to join him onstage. But it’s even more impressive for an artist to receive that endorsement before officially releasing a note of music. Yet that’s exactly what happened to singer-keyboardist Kandace Springs when Prince saw a YouTube clip of her performing Sam Smith’s hit “Stay With Me,” initiated a correspondence on Twitter, and asked Springs to fly to Minneapolis and perform at his legendary Paisley Park Studio. The four songs on the Kandace Springs EP – which is available for pre-order now on iTunes ahead of its September 30 release – merge old-school values with fresh and innovative styles, drawing on R&B, hip-hop, jazz, pop, and Latin music. Watch the video for the EP’s lead single “Love Got In The Way.”
BLUE NOTE 75th ANNIVERSARY VINYL REISSUES
The Blue Note Records 75th Anniversary vinyl reissue series continues with five new titles released each month. See the full list of titles here, including the most recent releases from Wayne Shorter (JuJu), Herbie Hancock (Speak Like A Child), Lou Donaldson (Lush Life), Bud Powell (The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1), and Terence Blanchard (Flow). Additionally we’ve launched a Blue Note Authorized Dealer program with independent record stores in the U.S. Participating stores carry a variety of Blue Note Records products, including special promotional items and exclusive releases including recent 10” vinyl reissues of Thelonious Monk’s debut recordings Genius of Modern Music.
