It took the convergence of several natural forces to create and define one of the greatest jazz record labels there has ever been: Jazz-loving German immigrants fleeing the Nazi regime (Alfred Lion & Francis Wolff), a New Jersey optometrist moonlighting as a recording engineer (Rudy Van Gelder), a classical music-loving commercial designer (Reid Miles)... and oh yeah, slews of the most incredible musicians that have ever walked the earth (too many to name them all). The result: Blue Note Records.
The elements that each brought to the table (impeccable A&R instincts & elegant and insightful photography, sterling sound quality, unmistakably striking cover artwork, and consistently transcendent music, respectively) were all essential to the creation and subsequent success of Blue Note Records, the whole could not have existed without each of the parts.
Blue Note was founded in 1939, and in 2004 (the label's 65th year) it continues to move its legacy forward through three unique projects: the Blue Note Revisited global remix CD, the A New Perspective clothing line, and the ongoing RVG Edition reissue series.
On April 20, Blue Note releases Blue Note Revisited (Blue Note 90266), a remix project of global proportions that finds the hippest of the hip DJs & producers from all reaches of the planet revisiting and reinterpreting classic Blue Note recordings. Original tracks from the likes of Wayne Shorter, Grant Green, Donald Byrd, Bobby Hutcherson, Horace Silver, and more, are dressed in new clothes by the likes of La Funkmob, Kenny Dope, Kyoto Jazz Massive, DJ Spinna, 4 Hero, Bugz in the Attic, Madlib, J Dilla, DJ Cam, DJ Mehdi, Jazzanova, Osunlade, and Matthew Herbert.
While Blue Note Revisited takes a new perspective on the classic sound of Blue Note, the A New Perspective clothing line gives the label's classic visual style a similar treatment. Created in conjunction with eclectic clothing company Ropeadope Industries, the venture has first spawned a collection of t-shirts with designs that draw from the images and text treatments that adorned the LP covers of such jazz icons as Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner and Ornette Coleman. The merchandise is currently available through both www.bluenote.com and www.ropeadope.com, and will be distributed in the U.S. by Zero Traders. To view the collection, visit: http://store.ropeadope.com/index_bluenote.jsp.
In 1999, legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, at the behest of reissue producer Michael Cuscuna, began revisiting and remastering (in 24-bit) the many classic sessions that he had originally engineered for Blue Note throughout the 1950s and 60s, presenting his already lauded “sound" with a remarkable new clarity. The resulting RVG Edition reissue series met with great popularity and has since continued, turning out over 100 titles in the U.S. This summer, Blue Note adds another 18 titles:
JUNE 29, 2004 Art Blakey - Buhaina's Delight (92425) Dexter Gordon - Dexter Calling (92420) Joe Henderson - Inner Urge (92422) Freddie Hubbard - Breaking Point (90845) Jackie McLean - Action (96499) Blue Mitchell - The Thing To Do (94319)
JULY 13, 2004 Dexter Gordon - Doin' Allright (96503) Andrew Hill - Black Fire (96501) Freddie Hubbard - The Night of the Cookers (94323) Lee Morgan - The Sixth Sense (92423) Horace Silver - Serenade to a Soul Sister (94321) Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin' (92421)
AUGUST 10, 2004 Art Blakey - Free For All (92426) Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up (96505) Joe Henderson - In 'N Out (96507) Freddie Hubbard - Blue Spirits (94317) Jackie McLean - Destination Out (92424) McCoy Tyner - Tender Moments (96509)
For more information contact All About Jazz.
