Blue Note News

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set and digital collection


“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

Charlie Hunter’s 1995 Blue Note debut Bing Bing Bing! was a groove-heavy tour-de-force that announced the arrival of a virtuosic new guitarist on the scene. Hunter’s unique concept on his 8-string guitar allowed him to lay down a bass line and play chords as well as a melodic line at the same time, producing music that was at once impressive and irrepressible. With his powerful trio featuring tenor saxophonist Dave Ellis and drummer Jay Lane plus contributions from trombonist Jeff Cressman, Ben Goldberg, pedal steel guitarist David Phillips, and percussionist Scott Roberts, Hunter delivered a 10-song set of propulsive originals including “Greasy Granny” and “Fistful of Haggis” plus an unforgettable cover of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” Hunter would go on to record six more excellent albums for Blue Note, and also gain notice for playing on D’Angelo’s 2000 neo-soul masterpiece Voodoo.

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd ist musikalischer Freigeist und Jazz-Visionär, seit mehr als sechs Jahrzehnten
Unikum der internationalen Szene und mit 84 Jahren noch immer im Vollbesitz seiner kreativen Kräfte.
Mit „Trios: Chapel“ eröffnete Lloyd im Juli 2022 ein ungewöhnliches Trio-Projekt, das insgesamt drei
thematisch zusammenhängende Alben umfasst, die ihn jeweils in einer anderen Trio-Besetzung präsentieren - ein „Trio of Trios“. Das erste Album nahm er mit Gitarrist Bill Frisell und Bassist Thomas Morgan
auf, das jetzt erscheinende zweite, ”Trios: Ocean” mit Gitarrist Anthony Wilson und Pianist Gerald Clayton, und das dritte, „Trios: Sacred Thread“ (erscheint am 18. November), mit Gitarrist Julian Lage und
Schlagzeuger Zakir Hussain.

Charles Lloyd, Ausnahme-Saxophonist, spiritueller Freigeist und musikalischer Visionär, ist seit mehr als
sechs Jahrzehnten fester Bestandteil der internationalen Jazzszene und mit 84 Jahren so kreativ und produktiv wie selten zuvor. Dieses Jahr veröffentlicht er auf Blue Note Records ein „Trio of Trios“, drei
eigenständige Alben in jeweils unterschiedlichen Trio-Besetzungen.
Den Anfang macht „Trios: Chapel“, aufgenommen mit Gitarrist Bill Frisell und Bassist Thomas Morgan. Das fantastische Zusammenspiel der drei Jazzgrößen macht gespannt auf die zweite Folge „Trios:
Ocean“ (erscheint im August) mit Gitarrist Anthony Wilson und Pianist Gerald Clayton, und die dritte und
finale Folge „Trios: Sacred Thread“ (erscheint im Oktober), mit Gitarrist Julian Lage und Schlagzeuger
Zakir Hussain.

Trombone Shorty is back with his first album in 5 years and the eagerly awaited follow-up to his 2017 Blue Note debut Parking Lot Symphony, which the esteemed New Orleans music magazine OffBeat said continued his tradition of “stunningly good musicianship, crowd-pleasing good material, and just plain good fun.” The new album captures the explosive energy of his legendary live shows, and combines classic New Orleans sounds (funk, gospel, street rhythms, Mardi Gras Indian chants, and second lines) with modern lyrics, melody, and beats to create something fresh and unique. The album features special guests including vocalist Lauren Daigle & guitarist Gary Clark Jr.

"For her 3rd Blue Note album Twenty One recorded in 1994, the brilliant pianist and composer Geri Allen joined forces with two masters—bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams—for a dynamic trio date.
Allen’s stunning lyricism, as well as her boundless harmonic and rhythmic creativity, shines on this 12-song set that presents originals like “Feed The Fire” alongside choice standards and pieces by Thelonious Monk.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mastered by Kevin Gray, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal."

"In the early 1960s, the great composer, arranger, and bandleader Gerald Wilson began recording a series of spectacular albums for Pacific Jazz that stand as the most significant of his lengthy career. The second of those albums, 1962’s Moment of Truth, features Wilson’s dynamic big band on an action-packed nine-song set (seven of which were composed by Wilson) with highlights including the swaggering blues of the title track, the irrepressible Latin groove of “Viva Tirado,” and a fleet-footed version of “Milestones” by Miles Davis.
This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket."

"One of the more remarkable albums in Freddie Hubbard’s formidable Blue Note oeuvre, Breaking Point! was recorded in May 1964 shortly after the trumpeter left Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to form his own band. The quintet—with James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Ronnie Mathews on piano, Eddie Khan on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums—moves assuredly from free-form playing and modal jazz to the blues and balladry on this five-song set of originals by Hubbard and Chambers.
This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket."

On his third Blue Note album pianist McCoy Tyner assembled a quartet with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Herbie Lewis & drummer Freddie Waits for an album rich in ethereal textures that delivers visceral performances of three expansive Tyner originals and three radically reinvented standards.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Under-recognized trumpeter Johnny Coles recorded only one album for Blue Note but 1963’s Little Johnny C is a little-known treasure of the catalog featuring Coles at the helm of a dynamic sextet with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, alto saxophonist Leo Wright, pianist Duke Pearson, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummers Walter Perkins & Pete La Roca.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

María Dueñas presents her highly anticipated Deutsche Grammophon debut album; Beethoven and Beyond captures a towering performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, recorded live at Vienna’s Musikverein and featuring the artist’s own cadenzas. The album also includes works by Kreisler, Saint-Saëns, Spohr, Wieniawski and Ysaÿe, with a companion disc of Beethoven cadenzas by the same composers.

Two brand new singles written and performed by Florence Pugh for upcoming American drama film A Good Person, written, directed, and produced by Zach Braff. The film stars Florence Pugh, Celeste O'Connor, Zoe Lister-Jones, Molly Shannon, and Morgan Freeman.

Zach Braff’s curated compilation soundtrack album for the upcoming drama film A Good Person. Written and directed by Braff, the film’s compilation soundtrack features a range of wistful folk-infused songs, including The Velvet Underground’s iconic 1969 song After Hours, written by Lou Reed and performed by the band’s drummer Moe Tucker, Bristol-based singer-songwriter Fenne Lilly’s 2021 track Hyopcondriac, American singer-songwriter Lizzie McAlpine’s 2020 song To The Mountains, American indie rock singer-songwriter Cary Brothers’ 2022 song Stardust, performed in the film for Allison (Florence Pugh) by Cary himself, and more (see full tracklisting below). The compilation soundtrack also features two brand new singles written and performed for the film by Florence Pugh. I Hate Myself and The Best Part.

All the best music has a community underneath it. The extended family around London’s Total Refreshment Centre (TRC) connects continents and generations, creating the rich relationships in full effect on Transmissions From Total Refreshment Centre. It’s an eclectic and electric collection that draws from new school jazz, hip hop, dub, soul, funk, and drill: sounds you’ll hear trailing out of cars as they spin up the Kingsland Road or spiraling out of doorways like so much smoke. Turn it up loud to hear the widescreen young cousins of Guru’s landmark Jazzmatazz in full effect: top players from London, Chicago, and Melbourne seeking out new collaborations, new ways of working, or just new tunes, always coming back to that central truth – that we all need each other.

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set and digital collection


“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set and digital collection


“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

Grant Green’s musical style evolved to embrace jazz-funk as the decade turned to 1970. The guitarist’s vibrant album Green Is Beautiful is a highlight of the era with his distinctive tone shining on a set that included covers of James Brown (“Ain’t It Funky Now”), The Beatles (“A Day In The Life”) & Burt Bacharach (“I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”).

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean had the blues on his mind when he went into Van Gelder Studio in 1961 to record his hard bop masterpiece Bluesnik with a blazing quintet featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums. The six-song set of bluesy originals brims with immediacy and vibrancy.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

On vinyl in the U.S. for the first time since 1977, this 1975 release includes African, Indian, Arabic and 70's era Miles Davis style electric rock fusions. Featuring contributions from former Ornette Coleman bandmates Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, and liner notes from Stanley Crouch.

Drawn from three sessions in 1958–59 that featured The Incredible Jimmy Smith in a quartet with tenor saxophonist Percy France, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and drummer Donald Bailey, Home Cookin’ stands as one of the most deeply soulful albums the Hammond B3 organ virtuoso ever made. The band gives a soul jazz symposium that covers tunes by Ma Rainey, Ray Charles, and Jimmy McGriff along with originals by Smith and Burrell. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The musical partnership between vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and tenor saxophonist Harold Land fully blossomed on the 1970 album San Francisco, which found the musicians moving into fusion territory with relentlessly grooving tunes like “Goin’ Down South” and “Ummh” counterbalanced by exploratory pieces like the mesmerizing “Prints Tie.”

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

In November 1960, trumpeter Donald Byrd brought his quintet in to the Half Note Café in New York City to record this soulful, swinging, and highly enjoyable live set of hard bop featuring Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Duke Pearson on piano, Laymon Jackson on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Live albums all titled Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux followed from Bobby Hutcherson, Ronnie Foster, Bobbi Humphrey, and Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by Donald Byrd remained unreleased in the Blue Note vaults. Now, nearly 50 years later, that recording of the great trumpeter’s dynamic set will be officially released for the first time ever on what would have been Byrd’s 90th birthday: December 9, 2022.

That summer, Byrd was fresh off the release of his hit crossover fusion album Black Byrd, the first of his innovative and incredibly successful studio collaborations with producer Larry Mizell. But in a live setting the band had a rawer, harder edge, as this searing set attests. Byrd led a 10-piece band that included Larry Mizell on synthesizers, Fonce Mizell on trumpet and vocals, Allan Barnes on tenor saxophone and flute, Nathan Davis on soprano and tenor saxophone, Kevin Toney on electric piano, Barney Perry on electric guitar, Henry Franklin on electric bass, Keith Killgo on drums, and Ray Armando on congas and percussion. The set list includes Larry Mizell’s tune “Black Byrd” along with otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals like “The East,” “Kwame,” and “Poco-Mania,” as well as an excellent cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You’ve Got It Bad Girl.”

French keyboardist DOMi & American drummer JD BECK release their highly anticipated debut album NOT TiGHT on Anderson .Paak's new label, APESHIT INC in partnership with Blue Note Records. Featuring special guests .Paak, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, the album exemplifies their trailblazing take on jazz. The New York Times hailed them as simultaneously "freakishly complex and virtuosic" and "relentlessly melodic."

Zwei Jahre nach seinem hochgelobten Trio-Album „Valentine“ kehrt der GRAMMY-ausgezeichnete Gitarrist und Komponist Bill Frisell mit „Four“ zurück, einer intensiven musikalischen Meditation über Verlust,
Erneuerung und Freundschaft.
Frisells drittes Album für Blue Note Records seit seiner Vertragsunterzeichnung bei dem Label im Jahr 2019
besteht aus Neuinterpretationen von zuvor aufgenommenen Frisell-Originalen sowie neun neuen Kompositionen aus eigener Feder. Die Session bringt ihn mit den Blue Note-Kollegen Gerald Clayton am Klavier
und Johnathan Blake am Schlagzeug, sowie seinem langjährigen musikalischen Partner Greg Tardy an
Saxophon, Klarinette und Bassklarinette zusammen.

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set and digital collection


“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

"Lou Donaldson had already helmed seven Blue Note sessions by the time he made his undisputed masterpiece Blues Walk in 1958. Joining the saxophonist were Herman Foster on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, Dave Bailey on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas for a six-song set that yielded one of his most memorable themes with the cool struttin’ title track.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal."

Come Away With Me, released in 2002 by a young, unknown singer on a traditionally un-pop label, was a unique blend of jazz, blues, country, folk and pop – and lifted off beyond imagination. To date, the album has sold nearly 30 million times, and has garnered multiple awards, including no less than eight Grammys®. This coming February marks this landmark album’s 20th anniversary and, to celebrate, Blue Note/UMe has worked with the artist and her team on a special collection that will reveal for the first time the full story of the making of this now-classic album.

• New remastering of Norah’s legendary debut album

• 22 unreleased tracks: demos, session outtakes, alternate versions & mixes

• Norah’s earliest demos—the tracks that got Blue Note’s attention, and the demos she recorded for the label—some of which were released on the promo-only EP First Sessions

• The full previously-unreleased original version of the album—including 11 unreleased cuts—produced by Craig Street and now newly-mixed by Tony Maserati, with alternate versions of well-known tracks and unheard performances

• Premium packaging with an extensive booklet featuring new liner notes by Norah, rare session photos and detailed track annotations.

Multi-Grammy nominated singer, Seth MacFarlane, announces his 7th studio album, Blue Skies. The 14-track collection of swinging tunes showcases acclaimed arranger and conductor Andrew Cottee’s deft take on an uptempo album full of modern big band jazz orchestrations. The first track off the upbeat set is the classic jazz standard, “No Moon At All.” You can listen to the song and pre-order the album here. You can watch the accompanying lyric video here. Recorded at the celebrated Abbey Road studios, Blue Skies features an all-star group of musicians enlisted by MacFarlane including Chuck Berghofer (Bass), Peter Erskine (Drums), Larry Koonse (Guitar), Dan Higgins (Alto Sax), and Tom Ranier (piano). Together, with longtime friend, collaborator, and producer, Joel McNeely, and superb engineer, Rich Breen, the album covers compositions by musical writing luminaries that include Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, Edward Heyman and Frank Loesser.

"Gregory Porter’s GRAMMY-nominated debut studio album Water was released in 2010, and is now re-issued on Blue Note.

The album was recorded in the summer of 2009. The tracks include love stories, such as Illusion and Pretty, or protest for African-American civil rights, such as 1960 What? which recounts the 1967 Detroit riots. Gregory Porter also covers saxophonist Wayne Shorter's Black Nile with added lyrics. He also did an a cappella rendition of Feeling Good, made famous by Nina Simone in particular. Water was hailed by fans and critics alike, elevating Gregory Porter to the status of the next great male jazz star and marking the beginning of his successful career:

“Porter aptly refers to Water as “an album of love and protest,” though love is the clear victor. From the starkly beautiful “Illusion”, a hushed ode to a lost paramour; and rapturous “Pretty”, reminiscent of “A Taste of Honey”; to the percolated joy of “Magic Cup”, Porter knows how to get to the heart of the matter."" - Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes."

"The 4th volume of The Amazing Bud Powell series recorded in 1958 found the brilliant bebop piano master in particularly fine form on an ebullient set of his original tunes including “Buster Rides Again,” “Monopoly,” and “John’s Abbey.” Powell’s inventive solo flights shine in a trio setting with Sam Jones on bass and ‘Philly’ Joe Jones on drums.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal."

GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana joins the Blue Note Records family with the release of 12 Stars, her debut album as a leader for the legendary label following her appearance on the acclaimed 2020 album by the collective ARTEMIS. The Brooklyn-based tenor player from Santiago, Chile has garnered international recognition for her visionary work as a band leader, as well as her deeply meditative interpretation of language and vocabulary. 12 Stars grapples with concepts of childrearing, familial forgiveness, acceptance, and self-love, and was inspired by her deep interest in tarot. The album was produced by guitarist Lage Lund, who also performs as part of a remarkable quintet with Sullivan Fortner on piano and Fender Rhodes, Kush Abadey on drums, and Pablo Menares on bass.