Of the many albums recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, this was the greatest. Reissued on CD as part of a large Mosaic box set, this set introduced Jones’ best-known composition, “A Child Is Born,” and also has a colorful rendition of his sly “Tiptoe,” and finds the big band ripping…
This combination works. Although one might expect a group with the name of “The Blue Note All Stars” to be revisiting songs associated with Art Blakey, Horace Silver and perhaps Wayne Shorter, the impressive sextet sticks to new material with each member contributing one or two originals. The players…
Hip-hop/jazz fusionisters Us3 have forged the most elaborate union between the styles since the early days of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. Blue Note’s vast catalog gives them a huge advantage over several similar groups in terms of source material, and classic sounds by Art Blakey, Horace…
West African guitarist Lionel Loueke was inspired by his brother, who taught him how to play during his late teenage years. Stops at the Ivory Coast’s National Institute of Arts, Paris’ American School of More Than Music, and Berklee College of Music led Loueke to appearances on a series of high-profile recordings, including Terence…
Profile is the debut album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson, featuring performances by Pearson with Gene Taylor and Lex Humphries. It was recorded in 1959 and released the same year on the Blue Note label. Like the following Tender Feelin’s, Profile has been released singularly on CD only in Japan by Blue Note/EMI. However, at present, it could…
The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Vol. 1 is the debut album by American jazz pianist Herbie Nichols featuring performances recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1955 as a 10 inch LP.
The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Vol. 2 is the second album by American jazz pianist Herbie Nichols featuring performances recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1955 as a 10 inch LP.
Herbie Nichols Trio is the third album by American jazz pianist Herbie Nichols featuring performances recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1956.
In 1994, producer-tenor saxophonist Bob Belden received the unusual assignment of putting together a variety of all-star groups to revisit tunes associated with the Blue Note legacy. From November 1994 to March 1995 he recorded most of Blue Note’s then-current roster, documenting 39 compositions in all. Twelve are on this CD,…
