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Benny Golson and the Philadelphians - 1958
by Marc Davis
I have hundreds of jazz CDs. I'm a huge fan of bebop, hard bop and all manner of piano playing. Yet I have blind spots in my collection and in my jazz knowledge. The big names are all accounted for. And now that I've been exploring Blue Note's back catalogue--especially the 1950s and '60s--I'm ...
1950s and ‘60s Blue Note – Is It All the Same?
by Marc Davis
A few years ago, a reader from California named Charlie F. started a provocative discussion in the All About Jazz forums with the title: I've decided not to buy any more Blue Note albums." Oh boy. He began, Recently, I came to notice something about Blue Note albums of the 50s-60s, which was that ...
Gil Melle – Patterns in Jazz – Blue Note 1517
by Marc Davis
Sometimes, Blue Note surprises you. Often, the Blue Note catalogue is predictable, especially in the '50s and '60s. Some say it is too predictable. But if you dive deep, there are hidden gems slightly off the beaten hard-bop path. Case in point: Gil Melle's Patterns in Jazz. West Coast jazz ...
Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet
by Marc Davis
And now, a crossroads: At what price do I pass? It's the dilemma all collectors face eventually. At first, you buy the commons. A used CD at $4 is a no-brainer. A new CD at $10 or $12, easy to justify. But what do you do when the easies are gone and the price ...
Music Matters slows it down
by Greg Simmons
Music Matters is pulling a fast one. For the past several years they've been hawking a series of reissues of the classic Blue Note Records catalogue of the 1950s and 60s. The defining features of this series have been that they've all been re-mastered from the original session tapes by mastering guru Kevin Gray and, in ...
Thad Jones: The Magnificent Thad Jones
by Greg Simmons
Trumpeter Thad Jones' greatest notoriety was as a member and leader of large ensembles, including the Count Basie Orchestra and later the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. But as great as his big band work was, it's a shame he didn't dedicate more time to small combos. He recorded a handful of really first-rate dates for Blue ...
Music Matters: The Blue Note Reissue Series
by Greg Simmons
Music Matters has been reissuing classic Blue Note jazz records since 2007. It has dug deep into the catalog, remastering lesser known, infrequently heard titles, and done so with passionate attention to presenting the highest possible sound quality. Offering an analog solution in a digital age, this exceptional series is available on 45rpm vinyl records only. ...
Denny Melle on Husband Gil
Back in January, I posted about baritone saxophonist Gil Melle and his Blue Note and Prestige sessions. For the post, I spoke with Hal McKusick, who played with him, and Raymond De Felitta, who grew up down the block from the Melle house in Hollywood. Both Hal and Raymond shed light on the visionary saxophonist, composer, ...
Gil Melle: Blue Note and Prestige
In the 1950s, there were jazz musicians who lived so far into the future intellectually that other musicians from the period called them far out." Gil Melle was one of those out of sight" artists. But to merely refer to Melle (pronounced Mell-AY) as a jazz baritone saxophonist doesn't fully explain this creative dynamo who today ...
Gretchen Parlato: In a Dream
by Ken Dryden
Gretchen Parlato grew up in a musical household, the daughter of bassist/guitarist Dave Parlato (who worked with Don Ellis, Warne Marsh, Gil Melle and Frank Zappa, among others). She won the 2004 Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition and released her debut CD on her own label the following year; In a Dream is her long awaited ...