tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57975430641905615872024-09-06T07:10:41.086-04:00A place where I share my passion for the music embedded inside those vintage Blue Note Record grooves.darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-47238371978839291922018-01-01T09:58:00.000-05:002019-01-06T13:22:37.223-05:00

Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band is one of my absolute favorite Blue Note recordings. Duke is one of those guys that fell through the cracks during the 60's. He appeared on many sessions as a pianist, and produced many Blue Note records during the 1960's Duke lead 10 of his own sessions for the Blue Note label from 1964 to 1969. Then after his retirement from the label another session was

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Originally a Blue Note 10 inch LP. New Faces in Germany  is very brief clocking in at less than 30 minutes, Jutta Hipp displays a very interesting sound to my ears. The backing band, all German, offers a light but urgent mood reminiscent of some of the better West Coast jazz of the era. I actually thought at first listen Paul Desmond might be the alto sax here, but in fact is someone I

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-53352485686811931962016-10-02T21:18:00.000-04:002017-01-08T14:43:29.641-05:00

Afro-Cuban was an album recorded in January and March of 1955, and released originally on the 10 inch vinyl format with only 4 tracks.  The album saw a second life when it was re released by the label in 1957 with the pictured artwork and 3 extra tracks. The RVG CD remaster adds 2 more bonus tracks to the 7 from 1957 LP. The original 10 inch tracks, "Afrodesia" "Lotus Flower", "Minor's

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Bobby Hutcherson is one of my favorite jazz musicians of all-time. He's certainly one of the best vibraphonists of all time. He's been on so many classic and historical Blue Note sessions it's ridiculous. Could you imagine Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch without Bobby's vibes? Perhaps it's sacrilege, but when I think about that avant-garde jazz masterpiece, Bobby's icy vibes come to the forefront.

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-67259652565393020662016-02-16T17:01:00.000-05:002016-04-12T20:30:49.240-04:00

Lee Morgan's Volume III is a fantastic record pure and simple, one of my personal favorites. Unfortunately it's one of the few I've never owned on vinyl in any form. You can get some fine recent reissues, but the original vinyl in top condition can bring in $3000 plus for its seller. Just a little out of my price range, ouch! Benny Golson, who also was by in large responsible for Blue Note

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-83973960967745182552016-01-31T21:10:00.003-05:002016-04-11T17:38:01.790-04:00

One of the best commercial albums Blue Note released after the Liberty purchase of Blue Note, was 1970's Beautiful.  Candido Camero, age 94 as of  this writing gives us an album full of catchy hooks and grooves played to the hilt, while interpreting the popular tunes of the day, infusing them with his Latin fire. The luke-warm All Music review not withstanding, this IS one of

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When someone asks me: What's the best Lee Morgan (1937-1972) album? Typically they expect The Sidewinder answer to come out of my mouth. I can certainly agree, that album is one of the best, and perhaps even equal to my favorite: Search For the New Land: A sextet album recorded in 1964 but released 2 years later, and yes it does sport a stone classic jazz line up: Lee Morgan on trumpet,

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-69846493395575443072016-01-26T07:28:00.001-05:002016-04-11T17:39:12.706-04:00

I have never considered Stanley Turrentine (1934-2000) to be in the upper echelon of saxophonists. Why? Well, I did not consider him to be a ground breaker as a writer or as an instrumentalist. like anyone else, I know John Coltrane makes Turrentine seem like an afterthought when you compare the two's critical legacies.  Other than Charlie Parker, and perhaps Lester Young, who doesn't

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One of the greatest things about being a vinyl crate digger is finding hidden gems in the particular genre you have a passion for. This pair of hidden 1960's gems from Stanley Turrentine are hard to complain about:  Mr Natural from 1964, but not released until 198o with those shoddy pseudo-hipster album covers; that paid no mind to the proud Blue Note/Reid Miles designs of the 50's and 60

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What a bizarre record In Pursuit of the 27th Man is. I like the record, though 4 of the 7 tracks are quartet tracks without horns and feature the vibes of David Friedman. The 3 typical Horace funky styled tracks are fantastic as usual, funky groove tracks that Silver was known for throughout his career. These tracks feature the Brecker Brothers, Michael and Randy on Sax and trumpet

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Another sad casualty of demon addiction: Leo Parker (1925-1962) was a fine baritone saxophonist who created a pair of Blue Note records in 1961, less than 6 months before is untimely demise at the age of 36. Rollin' With Leo Parker wasn't even released until 1980, not sure why, because it is a fine hard bop album firmly inside the best of the Blue Note Record label's tradition  Certainly

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-82194683142633656452015-12-31T12:47:00.002-05:002016-03-20T08:52:53.077-04:00

Wayne Shorter wrote in the liner notes: "Iska is the wind that passes, leaving no trace..." I like that statement, it also aptly describe the mysterious quality in Shorter's sound, both as a writer and as instrumentalist. Odyssey of Iska recorded in August of 1970 presages the work the work Wayne would do with Weather Report shortly there after.  It also has a heavy influence of Miles

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Back 20 years ago or so when I first started getting into modern jazz: It was always a shock to the system when I'd discover an artist and be into a certain style of music that was more commercially accepted, only to be turned upside down by a different more challenging sound. I think the first Shorter album I checked out was Speak No Evil, then Adam's Apple. When I finally worked my way over

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-73581940616533727132015-12-13T19:56:00.001-05:002016-03-20T08:52:18.457-04:00

Andrew Hill's (1931-2007) 1963 debut for the Blue Note label is a modern jazz classic. Amazing when you think about all the debuts on Blue Note that were stone classics.  John Coltrane's Blue Train, Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer, and Johnny Coles' Little Johnny C. to name a few. Andrew Hill is a clear Thelonious Monk disciple, but certainly more advanced and

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The Thing that struck me about Wayne Shorter's music right away, was his unique ability to sound enigmatic. For me it's like there is something in it that I can't always find the answer to. His music always seems to have a depth beyond the typical. Coltrane is this way too, all the masters I suppose are, but Trane and perhaps Miles Davis are more earnest in their composing.  Shorter is

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Of all the musicians and arrangers in jazz history, Duke Pearson may be the most underrated. Blue Note aficionados know Pearson, and perhaps in general jazz fans as well, but you don't hear his name mentioned as one of the all time greats. Not as an arranger or as a pianist. Duke Pearson is one of my favorite composer/arrangers of all time. His compositions are always light and bouncy, with

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-80440972201620762862015-12-08T20:47:00.002-05:002016-03-20T08:23:51.995-04:00

For me, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers were the back bone of the Blue Note Sound, and honestly it's written in stone. Every record they created for the label is worthy of having in your collection. Artists like Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, and Stanley Turrentine were as prolific recording albums, and house arrangers like Ike Quebec and Duke Pearson meant a lot. When I think

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Pianist Herbie Hancock's debut as a leader Takin' Off is one of his best, though none of his Blue Notes should be missed. Recorded and released in 1962, it is a stellar record. Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on Tenor sax, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums foretell the caliber of music. Takin' Off is best known for the would be hit from Mongo Santamaria "Watermelon

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Recorded in 1956, and released the next year, Horace Silver's classic 6 Pieces of Silver belongs in every hard-bop collection. The standards "Senor Blues" and "Cool Eyes" set the pace and proved that Silver away from the Jazz Messengers and Drummer Art Blakey would be a force to be reckoned with. This copy I found in a local Dayton Ohio area record shop for 10 bucks, yeah I snagged it,

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Joe Henderson's final Blue Note album as a leader is a fine one. Mode For Joe from 1966 does not rest comfortably in the hard bop vein, though fans of the genre will enjoy this record. A probing bop style, not unlike the music Andrew Hill or Jackie McLean were releasing, but not quite as "out" there.  I am a sucker for vibrophonist Bobby Hutcherson, I can't think of an album he's been

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1967's Schizophrenia is a great album, just the right amount of inside/outside jazz. Equal parts of both.  By this point Shorter is the master of the enigmatic sound. Everything seems to have a mysterious quality. The standard "Tom Thumb" with its catchy line is one of the best in Wayne's discography.  Schizophrenia sounds like an extension of the Davis second great quintet to my

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Pianist Kenny Drew's second and final Blue Note session as a Leader turns out to be perhaps more famous to jazz record collectors for being the last original deep groove Blue Note pressing. What gets lost in the shuffle sometimes is what a fantastic record it is, seems an awful lot of the time the music takes a back-seat to the collecting minutia in Blue Note collecting circles. As a

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If you're new to jazz, but are reading this post, it's very likely that you've already had your first experience with jazz. Perhaps like me, your preconceived notions about the music were wrong? I didn't understand the scope of styles, dozens of sub-genres within jazz to discover, some better than others of course. Everyone has their own tastes. Blue Note jazz of the 50's and 60's is the

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-32560416416844115722015-10-20T11:16:00.000-04:002015-10-24T21:37:31.861-04:00

Look at the names on that cover: Art Blakey on drums, Clifford Brown on trumpet, Lou Donaldson on Alto, Horace Silver on piano, and Curly Russell on Bass. Blue Note 1521 is a stone classic, one the real masterpieces of hard-bop. recorded in 1954, this music still has the transitory style, sort of one foot in be-bop, and perhaps not quite full blow hard-bop? Personally I love this style, Joe

darkprinceofjazzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239884518567084689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797543064190561587.post-40412467759869175642015-10-19T13:18:00.000-04:002016-03-20T08:25:38.215-04:00

Recorded and Released in 1960, A Night in Tunisia on Blue Note Records is one of those ass-kicking albums in the Blakey discography that should be in every music collection. The title track, a cover of Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," which features some of the most raucous drum playing you're likely to hear,  and some very good in-the-pocket bass playing from Jymie Merritt. The title

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