It is the 75th Anniversary of the launch of the Jazz label Blue Note Records.
It is the 75th Anniversary of the launch of the Jazz label Blue Note Records.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the launch of the most important jazz recording label, Blue Note Records. Chief executive Don Was led the charge to celebrate this milestone by announcing a re-issue of the company's 100 most notable album releases, five a month, starting last month. The re-masteredalbums will appear in their original vinyl format.
This two-CD set is essentially a sampler of those 100 classic Blue Note releases. It's a treasure trove that demonstrates the breadth of Blue Note's roster.
Sidney Bechet's version of the Gershwin standard Summertime heads a top-shelf line-up which includes Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Jimmy Smith, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Cassandra Wilson.
The artists cover from 1939 to Blue Note's contemporary hit-maker, Norah Jones.
The initial batch of vinyl re-issues already out include Coltrane's 1957 album, Blue Train, Art Blakey's Free for All and Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil. This month's choices include Sonny Rollins A Night at the Village Vanguard and Cannonball Adderley's 1958 classic, Somethin' Else.
With this two-CD set you get a head start on the 75th anniversary release programme with 22 examples of why Blue Note has stood the test of time. No doubt Don Was' selection of the 100 albums will attract hot debate, as it should when Blue Note's archives are so rich in jazz treasures. Tony Nielsen
