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11

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra: Consummation – 1970

Read "Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra: Consummation – 1970" reviewed by Marc Davis


Blue Note was never home to many big bands, but the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra recorded four albums for the label from 1967-70, and one is a certified classic. Consummation is the musical equivalent of Neapolitan ice cream--three flavors packed into one large container. The album contains three moods: soft and contemplative, sprightly and ...

27

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil – 1964

Read "Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil – 1964" reviewed by Marc Davis


It's hard to imagine a jazz musician who has had more success with more bands than Wayne Shorter. His tenor sax was an essential part of three landmark combos: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1959-1964), Miles Davis' classic quintet (1964-70) and Weather Report (1971-86)--27 consecutive years of uninterrupted magnificence. In other words, if ...

26

Article: Film Review

The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi

Read "The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi" reviewed by Marc Davis


Vince GuaraldiThe Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi Jazz Casual Productions 2016 In 1962, jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi scored a surprise hit with his catchy, upbeat record “Cast Your Fate to the Wind." Three years later, millions of Americans who thought they didn't like jazz discovered Guaraldi's music on the debut ...

15

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Javon Jackson: Pleasant Valley – 1999

Read "Javon Jackson: Pleasant Valley – 1999" reviewed by Marc Davis


If the iconic sound of Blue Note Records could be summed up in just one band, it would surely be Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. For 35 years--1955 to 1990--the Messengers were the heart and soul of hard bop, on Blue Note and other labels. But what happened when Blakey died in 1990? ...

19

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Leo Parker: Rollin' With Leo – 1961

Read "Leo Parker: Rollin' With Leo – 1961" reviewed by Marc Davis


What if I told you there's a saxman who was there at the birth of bebop--literally, he played on the very first bebop recording--and you've never heard of him? And what if I told you his life story is the very archetype of the tragic, drug-addicted jazz musician? Would you still want to hear ...

28

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Newport Jazz Festival 1959

Read "Newport Jazz Festival 1959" reviewed by Marc Davis


The collector asks: When is it OK to say, “I have enough, thanks. I don't need the live version, too." Consider the dilemma of Wolfgang's Vault, a musical treasure trove of old jazz and rock performances. If you've never been there, go now. The site is stunning. It is an enormous collection of long-lost ...

22

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Grant Green: The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark – 1961-62

Read "Grant Green: The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark – 1961-62" reviewed by Marc Davis


Imagine if someone discovered a stash of unreleased Beatles records 15 years after they broke up. Then imagine Apple Records released all that music in a 2-CD set. That's what Grant Green: The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark is like. I exaggerate, but not by much. Grant Green wasn't the Beatles of ...

32

Article: What is Jazz?

Words and Music: Why Liner Notes Matter

Read "Words and Music: Why Liner Notes Matter" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard


It is said that we live in The Information Age, but perhaps, it would be more correct to say that we live in the Age of Too Much Information. If there is something you are looking for, you can often find it on the Internet, but the question is whether it is quantity rather than quality. ...

14

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Louis Smith: Here Comes Louis Smith – 1957

Read "Louis Smith: Here Comes Louis Smith – 1957" reviewed by Marc Davis


I'm not a musical snob. I'm not a guy to drop obscure musical names to impress friends and hipsters. But when I come across a name that is undeservedly obscure, I don't mind shouting it out the window. So here's my shout for today: Louis Smith! Chances are you've never heard of ...

21

Article: My Blue Note Obsession

Horace Silver: The United States of Mind – Revisited

Read "Horace Silver: The United States of Mind – Revisited" reviewed by Marc Davis


At what point did Blue Note Records jump the shark? Is there a single moment when Blue Note stopped being the world's greatest purveyor of jazz and instead became an irrelevant producer of schlock? Truth is, it was a long, slow slide. In the 1950s, Blue Note was the greatest source of hard bop. ...


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