This gallery contains 25 photos.
(UPDATED May 18, 2021 Liberty Keystone character change) Blue Note record covers showcase the wonderful graphic elements of photography, design and typography brought together by Reid Miles. The array of fonts Miles selected changed from title to title, and nice … Continue reading
This gallery contains 8 photos.
LJC thought for the day: you don’t judge a book by its cover, but by its contents. However, some covers just shout “No!” Fortunately in this case the contents say “Yes!” Selection: Feelin’ Folksy (Mobley) . . . . Artists: … Continue reading
This gallery contains 27 photos.
The Vinyl Detective calls. When is a Blue Note not a Blue Note? Freddy’s last studio album for the label, a magnificent beast, Blue Spirits, a four-horn line-up, with a twist. The curious case of the Blue Note that … Continue reading
This gallery contains 8 photos.
Selection: On Children (Wilson) Artists Lee Morgan (trumpet) Jackie McLean (alto sax) Garnett Brown (trombone) Jack Wilson (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass) Billy Higgins (drums) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 22, 1967 Artist of note: Jack Wilson … Continue reading
This gallery contains 17 photos.
A tale of the pursuit of one recording, the search for the best pressing, and a few lessons learned along the way. Prepare for a deep dive, and beware of currents. The story so far… In the early ’60s, United Artists … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Probably the finest Shorter Blue Note album, apart from all the others. (Later in the post, you will see I’ve popped in a Shorter favourites poll). The cover of Schizophrenia shows solarised mirror images of Shorter, symbolic of the schizophrenia beloved of ’60s popular … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Selection: Latona (Patton) . Artists Bobby Hutcherson (vibes) John Patton (organ) Grant Green (guitar) Otis Finch (drums) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 11, 1965 John Patton led six albums for Blue Note and a further five in the Liberty … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Tying up some loose ends in the discography of important figures in Modern Jazz, I found I had neglected some albums because either I wasn’t convinced of their merit or the pressing wasn’t satisfactory, or in some cases both. However … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Selection: Black Monday (Hill) Artists: John Gilmore (tenor saxophone) Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone) Andrew Hill (piano) Richard Davis (bass) Joe Chambers (drums) Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, June 25, 1964 Music: Possibly Hill’s most interesting Blue Note in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Selection: The Shouter Artists Bennie Green (trombone) Eddie Williams (tenor saxophone) Gildo Mahones (piano) George Tucker (bass) Al Dreares (drums) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, January 25, 1959 Music talk A recording by Bennie Green, the Chicagoan trombonist, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Selection: Maiden Voyage (Hancock) Artists Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone, marimba, drums) Herbie Hancock (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass) Joe Chambers (drums, vibraphone) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, February 8, 1966 Music Hutcherson claims not to have heard the original Hancock … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
HORACE SILVER RETROSPECTIVE No 9: The Jody Grind Selection: Blue Silver Artists Woody Shaw (trumpet) Tyrone Washington (tenor saxophone) Horace Silver (piano) Larry Ridley (bass) Roger Humphries (drums) James Spaulding (alto & flute), recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
 Blue Note Fake Stereo ’70s reissues: a public-interest post. For the Blue Note collector with a limited budget, and that is most of us I guess, reissues are an inevitable fact of life. It is also inevitable they will come across reissues which claim … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Selection: Chaos (Shorter) Mono: Stereo Artists Freddie Hubbard (t, flh) Alan Shorter (flh) Grachan Moncur III (trb) James Spaulding (as) Wayne Shorter (ts) Herbie Hancock (p) Ron Carter (b) Joe Chambers (d)  recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 15, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Track Selection 1: Venture Inward (Hill) Bristling angular theme with with an urgent rhythmic undertow Track selection 2: Bayou Red (Hill) Supposedly a tribute to the creole and mulatto heritage via New Orleans, though I like it for itself rather than because of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Selection 1: Search for Peace (Tyner) . . . Beautiful tune, tranquil and perfectly paced, Tyner does what he does best – an exploration of the strong melody for its rhythmic and harmonic potential, punctuated with cascading rippling arpeggios; on cue, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Track Selection: El Barrio . . . Artists Joe Henderson (tenor sax) McCoy Tyner (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass) Elvin Jones (drums) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, November 30, 1964 Recorded at Van Gelders studio just one week after … Continue reading
This gallery contains 12 photos.
Track Selection 1:  M & M (Mobley) from Jazz Corner Vol2 no ear, mono: Pressing quality comparison: Track Selection 2 :Hipsippy Blues from Jazz Corner Vol1  original Blue Note DG and ear, pressing stereo (shown below) Mono or Stereo? Liberty reissue or Blue Note second … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Track selection: Schizophrenia Artists Curtis Fuller (tb) James Spaulding (as, fl) Wayne Shorter (ts) Herbie Hancock (p) Ron Carter (b) Joe Chambers (d) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 10, 1967 Music You guessed it, I’m in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Track Selection: Chief Crazy Horse (7:20) Artists Wayne Shorter (ts) Herbie Hancock (p) Reggie Workman (b) Joe Chambers (d) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, February 3 & 24 , 1966 Music By the beginning of ’66, Wayne … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Track Selection:  Manaha da Carnaval . . . Artists Dexter Gordon, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibraphone; Barry Harris, piano; Bob Cranshaw bass; Billy Higgins, drums; recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 28-9, 1965 Dexter’s last major release for Blue … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Selected Track: Extension Artists George Braith (ts, ss, as) Billy Gardner (org) Grant Green (g) Clarence Johnston (d)Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 27, 1964 Born George Braithwaite in New York City to West Indian parents, in a family of nine … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Track selection: “Sweet Honey Bee” I> BST 84312 “Charisma” Lee Morgan Sextet: Lee Morgan (tp) Jackie McLean (as) Hank Mobley (ts) Cedar Walton (p) Paul Chambers (b) Billy Higgins (d) Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 29, 1966 … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Track Selection: “Melancholee” Original rip 2011 180kbps from DJ portable £100 tt. “Melancholee”: Grant Geen’s solo is sensitive, and Wayne Shorter’s elegant, while Morgan continues to show off his mercurial brilliance, to be lost for all time just a few … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
 Track Selection:  “Strange as it Seems” (Excerpt) Artists Ornette Coleman (tp) Jackie McLean (as) Lamont Johnson (p) Scott Holt (b) Billy Higgins (d) recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 24, 1967 Music The music – a … Continue reading
