Blue Note

[mark goddard]

I figure i would start a thread on the greatest Jazz label of all time ..Blue Note...spent the whole weekend spinning nothing but blue note sessions.
who here is a fan of the Blue Note label ?.......how about the album cover's  what's your fave's. my fave album cover is probably Cool Struttin ..those leg's .

right now i'am listening to "Open Sesame " a Freddie Hubbard date with Tina Brook's on tenor and McCoy Tyner on piano.

[Jason]

Blue Note was always a hip label. Everyone who was anyone was on that label (either them, Columbia, or Verve). I like the new direction they've been taking recently, what with Norah Jones and all.

Dig Larry Young's album Mother Ship, what a great set from the master of the Hammond organ.

[dogbreath]

My favourite is Ike Quebec's Blue and Sentimental. If you're sort-of-interested in jazz, but put off by frenetic sax improv, this could be the one to hook you. It's the Holy Grail of cool, and pretty much ignored because he did little else, and what other stuff he did doesn't sound much like this. There's just him, Grant Green on guitar (you must know him, right?), and a rhythm section, easing through some of the loveliest tunes you'll ever hear. He's got an incredibly breathy, organic tone, never strains for a note, and the whole album just flows. It's easy to listen to, but it's not easy listening music; this is pure jazz from the height of the Blue Note golden era. The CD re-release has some worthwhile extra cuts, too.

If everyone who bought Miles's Kind Of Blue because it was hip and they wanted a jazz album in their collection picked up on this, they'd be very happy indeed.

Quebec died from his heroin habit.

[Chance]

As a guy who's pretty much only skimmed the obvious with jazz (Miles, Coltrane, Armstrong, Billy Holiday, etc,) this is a good topic for me to get something out of. Hope people add to it. Nice recommendations, guys!

[dogbreath]

Something I forgot to mention about the Quebec album is that in terms of sound, it's by far and away the best-recorded album I have (and I have thousands ...) I always use it for reference (both vinyl and CD) when I get new equipment or I want to hear a friend's system at its best. Phenomenally clear, deep, and rich. Close your eyes and there's no way the band aren't set up in your room, just a yard away ...

Here's the Amazon review:

Ike Quebec's 1961-1962 comeback albums for Blue Note were all pretty rewarding, but Blue and Sentimental is his signature statement of the bunch, a superbly sensuous blend of lusty blues swagger and achingly romantic ballads. True, there's no shortage of that on Quebec's other Blue Note albums, but Blue and Sentimental is the best one by far. Quebec was a master of mood and atmosphere, and the well-paced program here sustains his smoky, late-night magic with the greatest consistency of tone. Part of the reason is that Quebec's caressing tenor sound is given a sparer backing than usual, with no pianist among the quartet of guitarist Grant Green, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. It's no surprise that Green solos with tremendous taste and elegance (the two also teamed up on Green's similarly excellent Born to Be Blue), and there are plenty of open spaces in the ensemble for Quebec to shine through. His rendition of the Count Basie-associated title cut is a classic, and the other standard on the original LP, "Don't Take Your Love From Me," is in a similarly melancholy vein. Through it all, Quebec remains the quintessential seducer, striking just the right balance between sophistication and earthiness, confidence and vulnerability, joy and longing. It's enough to make Blue and Sentimental a quiet, sorely underrated masterpiece.

Personnel includes:
Ike Quebec - Piano, Sax (Tenor)
Grant Green - Guitar
Paul Chambers - Bass
"Philly" Joe Jones - Drums

... and here's my Amazon fan review (which I'd forgotten about until I just looked up the album):

"This is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Ike's tone, breathy yet virile, is set against the unusually spare backing of guitar, bass and drums, and to stunning effect. The recording quality is spectacular (as it was on vinyl), and if you close your eyes the musicians are in the room with you. Grant Green's guitar work is relaxed, perfectly judged, and never competes for space.

I much prefer this line-up to the organ-based arrangements of some of his other recordings. Apparently his story is one tragically familiar in jazz, dying young and leaving too little. In one sense this album defines saxophone jazz, in another it transcends genre. It's purely *music*, lyrical, sad, and occasionally full of lively spirit. It's been a personal favourite of mine for many years, and I frequently find myself humming his solos, and hearing that unique tone in my head. In fact, I'm going to stop writing this and listen to it again. This is music that will last you your lifetime.

Thanks, Ike, wherever you are."

[mark goddard]

I love Ike and listened to Blue and Sentimental this past weekend. Another blue note artist everyone should check out is Horace Silver. his run of albums in the late 50's and early 60' on blue note are very underrated !!! The stylings of silver, Further explorations, Finger poppin, blowin the blue's away, Horascope, the Tokyo blue's and Silver's serenade are all TOP notch !!!.......Blue Mitchell on trumpet and Junior cook on tenor these albums are just the perfect Hard bop sessions. mixing all different styles in the music .gospel, funk, soul...also by listening to Silver you will see where Steely Dan came up with their sound.
it's easy to get all caught up in Miles around the same period .But i think you would be missing out on the essentail hard bop of the blue note label if you didn't check this stuff out !!

[dogbreath]

Just another hat thrown in the air for the very great Horace Silver ...

[jazzfascist]

Generally I guess there's something great about the jazzrecords from the 40's 50's 60's, because the music doesn't sound so rehashed. For instance when you hear the Blue Note recordings of Thelonious Monk, it sounds really fresh, and the sound on the Blue Note records was really great, maybe it's an illusion but the music sounds very undiluted. Their main engineer Rudy Van Gelder I guess is also seen as one of the great jazzengineers.
Of the stuff  I know some of my favorites are “Thelonious Monk : Genius of Modern Music”, "John Coltrane : Blue Train", “Wayne Shorter : Adam’s Apple”,“Eric Dolphy : Out To Lunch”, “Jackie McLean : Destination Out“ ,“Herbie Hancock : Maiden Voyage”.

Søren

[mikee]

I figure i would start a thread on the greatest Jazz label of all time ..Blue Note...who here is a fan of the Blue Note label ?.......how about the album cover's  what's your fave's. my fave album cover is probably Cool Struttin ..those leg's .
right now i'am listening to "Open Sesame " a Freddie Hubbard date with Tina Brook's on tenor and McCoy Tyner on piano.

I love Blue Note and the classic period of jazz it was preeminent in capturing. Blue Note was founded and run from 1939 to 1965 by Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff. Wolff took most of the photos on the album covers.  Many of them were taken in or outside engineer Rudy Van Gelder's studios where almost every Blue Note album was recorded.  Mr. Van Gelder's first studio was at his parent’s home in Hackensack.  In 1960 he moved to a larger studio that he had designed and built.  Four years ago I met Rudy and got a tour of the RVG studio. What a nice guy he is and what a thrill it was to be in the room where "A Love Supreme" and so many classic albums were recorded.  It is a relatively large room distinctive by it's high ceiling.  He was in great spirits and appeared to be in excellent health.  I believe that he said his favorite album was Coltrane's 'Lush Life' (which was on Prestige - now OJC Fantasy)  but I don't exactly recall if he meant his favorite Coltrane session or of all the sessions that he did.  It is clear to me that there was a deep mutual respect shared between Coltrane and Van Gelder.   From reading Mr. Stephen Desper's writings here on SmileySmile, he and Mr. Van Gelder seem a lot alike to me.  If they are not acquainted they should be! 

             

[mark goddard]

WOW.Mikee how did you get to meet him ??.......have you been buying any of the RVG's that he has been remastering. These cd's that he has been remastering are some of the best sounding cd's i have ever heard, they are addicting .

[mikee]

My favourite is Ike Quebec's Blue and Sentimental.

Quebec was a tenor saxophonist out of the swing era.  Alfred Lion, who admired Quebec, hired him to be Blue Notes A&R man in the late 40’s.  Among the artists that Quebec brought to Blue Note were Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. He played only sporadically in the 50’s.  In late 1961 he made a playing comeback that included ‘Blue And Sentimental’.   He had a no-tricks straight-ahead approach and processed beautiful tone and feel.  His solos were direct and heartfelt.  He was from an older generation than most of the hard-bop era musicians that were on Blue Note during his time there but proved to have no problem jumping in with them.  I did not have the “Blue And Sentimental” album though it has been on my ‘get’ list for quite a while. Dog Breath’s recommendation pushed me to acquire the recording last weekend.  I already owned the logical companion album to ‘Blue and Sentimental’ – which is Grant Green’s ‘Born To Be Blue’. Green’s BTBB was recorded just 5 days before Quebec’s B&S and both albums feature Green on guitar with Quebec on tenor.  BTBB also features Sonny Clark on piano with Sam Jones – bass, Louis Hayes – drums. To anyone who likes Quebec’ B&S  I would strongly recommend Grant Green’s BTBB.
 The thing that stands out for me on Quebec’s album is that there is no piano.  That leaves a lot of space for the nuances of Quebec and Green’s solos.  Also the rhythm section of  Paul Chambers and “Philly" Joe Jones is incredibly supportive.  They were an amazing rhythm duo that any soloist would love to perform with.  Listening to this record makes me understand why the relatively intolerant Miles Davis tolerated Philly Joe’s tendency to not show up for gigs. 

Quebec died from his heroin habit.

Quebec died in 1963 from lung cancer so he probably died from his tobacco use and exposure habit.   He came down with the disease about the time of the Blue and Sentimental recording but reportedly retained his beautiful tone and playing ability until the end.  Sonny Clark did die from his heroin addiction.  He od’ed after shooting up during a break at a NYC club gig on Jan. 16, 1963.  They moved his body to an apartment before calling the police so that the club would not get closed down because of the incident.     

[mark goddard]

Blue Note just released Ike Quebec's 45 sessions on a 2 cd set.

[dogbreath]

Mikee, I'm glad you got Blue and Sentimental and enjoy it. It's a disc I never, ever, tire of.

I've seen that 2 disc set of 45s - as far as I can tell, it's mostly his more upbeat stuff (yeah?), with organ comping, which I'm less keen on. It's the uniqueness of that B&S line-up that gives him (as noted) space to breathe.

[mark goddard]

yes, the 45 sessions were aimed for the jukeboxes for sure.  Any fan's of Stanley Turrentine ?

[dogbreath]

Note to self: pick up Stanley Turrentine nextly.

Thanks.

[mark goddard]

Blue Note designed the greatest album covers of all time !!!!!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Bean Bag]

Blue Note designed the greatest album covers of all time !!!!!

2nd'ed.

[mikee]

Blue Note designed the greatest album covers of all time !!!!!

I also think they were great.  Most (through 1965) were the work of the talented Blue Note co-owner Francis Wolff and (as I should have stated previously) Reid Miles. Wolff took most fo the photos while Miles designed most of the covers (and took a few of the photos). There is a large sized book availible of the BlueNote photographs.  Most are session photos.  The book is pretty expensive but you might be able to find it, as I did, at a local library.  One of my favorite covers is the Wolff photo of Dexter Gordon in Paris on the "One Flight Up" L.P.  That was one of the few Blue Note  albums not recorded at RVG's because Dexter was living in Paris at the time.   Dexter turned out to be amazingly good as an actor in the incredible "Round Midnight" film.   I wonder how they knew he could act?
 The Original Jazz Classics albums on Fantasy (which include Riverside, Prestige, Contemporary, and other jazz labels)  also have a lot of great photos taken at and around the first RVG studio  which was actually located in the living room of Rudy's parents Hackensack home.  That's why you see lampshades and blinds in a lot of the pre-1960 Blue Note photos.  Most of the OJC photos were taken out on the sidewalk.  My guess is that the OJC photographer didn't like to do or was not equipped for indoor photography.
Many classics such as Coltrane's  "BlueTrain",  Thelonious Monks "Monks Music",  and Miles Davis's "Workin" to name just a few, were recorded there.

[mark goddard]

i have the hardcover photo book , which are all B & W. they also released a softcover whcih is in color also very nice and a little cheaper than the other one.

also check out the cover table,  soft cover (well thats what i have ) Blue Note album cover book. i have the large book , buy again they put out a smaller version.
they also put out one for the west coast labels ..(pacific jazz, contemporary ) the book is called California cool..might be hard to track that one down.

[mikee]

they also released a softcover whcih is in color also very nice and a little cheaper than the other one.also check out the cover table,  soft cover (well thats what i have ) Blue Note album cover book. i have the large book , buy again they put out a smaller version.they also put out one for the west coast labels ..(pacific jazz, contemporary ) the book is called California cool..might be hard to track that one down.

Wow!  I didn't know those photos were shot in color.  I'd like to check that out. 

I'd guess that the "California Cool" book would include a lot of William Claxton photos.  There was one by him of Art Pepper standing on a steep street in the Echo Park section of L.A.  Pepper in his autobiographyI liked it so much that I went out and found the location.  In his very candid autobiography  "Straight Life", Pepper said he hated living there (on top of the very steep hill).  He didn't have a car and had to walk up and down the hill all the time.  I think this photo was taken the day he went to record the classic "Art Pepper Meets the Rythmn Section".  "Straight Life" and Pepper's account of this day is an amazing read.  What Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison did to put themselves in the morgue, that's what Pepper did on a lean day before breakfast,  just to get out of bed. 
I'm on the lookout for "Calif. Cool".  Claxton has a website   http://www.williamclaxton.com/movie.html  and the Art Pepper photo I am referring to is there.       

[mark goddard]

i have always been meaning to read Straight life..WOW..that hill that Pepper is climbing is STEEP !!!

[mikee]

'Straight Life' is riveting.  Art's wife, Laurie Pepper, has a script for a film of the book.  She says that she had a deal and that Johny Depp agreed to play Pepper.  She would have lost  control that she wanted to the producers though and turned the deal down.  She then went out and made a film herself, in segments, that stars James Intveld as Pepper.  It looks pretty interesting.  There is a still on her site with the same view of the hill as it looks today.   http://straightlife.org/

[Bean Bag]

Mosaic (mosaicrecord.com) has some Grrrrrreat photos of Blue Note junks.   Francis Wolff, stuff.  Looks top notch in your study.

[Bean Bag]

[mikee]

Grrrrrreat photos of Blue Note junks.

Not all Blue Note artists were "junks"  though many were during the period of the photo you posted (Looks to me like Miles Davis and Tranes right arm recording what became 4 albums, in one day at RVG-Hackensack about 1956. Davis who had been hooked went back to his dad's house in East St. Louis and kicked about this time (probably before this marathon session I'd guess).  His dad by the way, was a fairly well to do physician.  Once Miles kicked, there was a new rule, he didn't allow junkies in his band.  This forced an unpleasant decision, he fired Coltrane, who was hooked.  Coltrane went home and kicked too.  He then got a job with Thelonious Monk who, til now had met with little success with fans or critics though other musicians loved him.  Coltrane now permanently freed from heroin addiction and under the mentoring of Monk, went from good to great.  The Monk with Coltrane band then got a longer term house-band gig at the 5 Spot and suddenly they were the talk of the jazz world - and rightfully so.  Davis who could pay better (having more mainstream appeal and a new major label  (Columbia) contract), re-hired Coltrane who joined the new Miles Davis Sextet - the "Kind Of Blue" band perhaps the greatest band in history.  Monk also eventually got a deal with Columbia and even graced the cover of Time Magazine.