88-551: The Modern Jazz Quartet ( MJQ ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical , cool jazz , blues and bebop . The Quartet consisted of John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy Heath (double bass), and various drummers, most notably Kenny Clarke (from 1952 to 1955) and Connie Kay (from 1955 to 1994). The group grew out of the rhythm section of Dizzy Gillespie 's big band from 1946 to 1948, which consisted of Lewis, Jackson, and Clarke along with bassist Ray Brown . They recorded as
176-418: A cool jazz style that combined bebop and the blues with classical elements. There was a marked contrast in styles between Jackson's rhythmically complex blues-based solos and Lewis's restrained manner of playing and classically influenced pieces. One of the first small jazz combos to perform in concert halls rather than nightclubs, the group was noted for habitually wearing formal attire at concerts, inspired by
264-414: A rhythm section and a horn section . The size of a jazz band is closely related to the style of jazz they play as well as the type of venues in which they play. Smaller jazz bands, also known as combos , are common in night clubs and other small venues and will be made up of three to seven musicians; whereas big bands are found in dance halls and other larger venues. Jazz bands can vary in size from
352-478: A big band, to a smaller trio or quartet. Some bands use vocalists, while others are purely instrumental groups. Jazz bands and their composition have changed many times throughout the years, just as the music itself changes with personal interpretation and improvisation of its performers. It is common for musicians in a combo to perform their music from memory. The improvisational nature of these performances make every show unique. The rhythm section consists of
440-547: A casual jazz fan, according to Richard Cook; Blue Note gave him several copies of each of the many dozens of albums he designed, but Miles gave most to friends or sold them to second-hand record shops. A few mid-1950s album covers featured drawings by a then-unknown Andy Warhol . Some of his most celebrated designs adorned the sleeves of albums such as Midnight Blue , Out to Lunch! , Unity , Somethin' Else , Let Freedom Ring , Hub-Tones , No Room for Squares , Cool Struttin' , and The Sidewinder . Blue Note
528-422: A collection of his remixes and interpretations of Blue Note music. Pete Rock , J Dilla , and DJ Spinna have likewise been involved in similar projects. In 2004, Burning Vision Entertainment created the video for Helicopter Girl's "Angel City", using the art from numerous Blue Note LP sleeves to startling effect. In 2008, hip-hop producer Questlove of The Roots compiled Droppin' Science: Greatest Samples from
616-431: A farewell concert at Avery Fisher Hall , later released as a series of two albums and then as a complete package, The Complete Last Concert (1988). They had occasional reunion concerts, never going more than eighteen months without playing together, before reuniting in 1981 for a tour of Japan, recorded as Reunion at Budokan 1981 for Pablo Records . They recorded three more albums for Pablo, Together Again: Live at
704-576: A five-year period, including several at the beginning of his sojourn in Europe. Gordon also appeared on the debut album by Herbie Hancock - by the mid 1960s, all four of the younger members of the Miles Davis quintet (Hancock, Wayne Shorter , Ron Carter and Tony Williams ) were recording for the label, and Hancock and Shorter in particular produced a succession of superb albums in a mix of styles. Carter did not actually record under his own name until
792-473: A jazz vocalist can be unclear because jazz has shared a great deal with blues and pop music since the 1920s. In their book Essential Jazz , Henry Martin and Keith Waters identify five main characteristics that identify jazz singing, three of which are: "Loose phrasing [...], use of blue notes [...], [and] free melodic embellishment." Often the human voice can act in place of a brass section in playing melodies, both written and improvised. Scat singing
880-484: A label called "Blue Note/ArtistShare". The Blue Note/ArtistShare partnership was forged by ArtistShare founder Brian Camelio , Bruce Lundvall , and Don Was . After Universal Music Group took over EMI, Blue Note Records is now operated under Capitol Music Group , while Decca Records took over UK distribution of Blue Note. Blue Note has seen a continuity in releases from older artists such as Shorter, Charles Lloyd , Louis Hayes , and Dr. Lonnie Smith . In 2019,
968-531: A leader for the label, which were also the Blue Note debut of drummer Art Blakey , who also recorded his first session as leader for the label at this time. Lion recorded several Monk sessions before he began to release the resulting sides. Monk's recordings for Blue Note between 1947 and 1952 did not sell well for some years, but have since come to be regarded as the most important of his career. Other bebop or modernist musicians who recorded for Blue Note during
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#17327721145581056-552: A nightclub date that led up to the creation of the Modern Jazz Quartet: John had this idea to write some different music for the instruments that were in the quartet, and wrote "Vendome" and a few other very orchestrated pieces. He wasn't interested in writing for Milt Jackson's quartet, so we became a partnership, a corporation—the Modern Jazz Quartet was the performing entity. John's vision for
1144-549: A record for Blue Note Records with Lou Donaldson on saxophone as the Milt Jackson Quintet, later released on Wizard of the Vibes ; the latter record contained the first recording of " Bags' Groove ", which would become a signature song of the Modern Jazz Quartet. In November of that year they accompanied Charlie Parker in a live recording at Birdland . For Prestige Records , they made their first recordings as
1232-600: A recording as the Milt Jackson Quartet for Gillespie's record label, Dee Gee Records . Brown then left the group to concentrate on working with his wife, singer Ella Fitzgerald , and was replaced as bassist by Percy Heath , who had also performed with Gillespie. The quartet was incorporated on January 14, 1952, as the Modern Jazz Society, Inc., of which the Modern Jazz Quartet became the working entity. Three or four names were considered, including
1320-522: A repertory that ranges over the entire history of the music, were everywhere apparent. You could say that the Modern Jazz quartet now resided in a world at least partially of its own making." The Modern Jazz Quartet earned a variety of honors, including the first NAACP award for cultural contributions in the field of music in 1957, top billing on numerous jazz magazine polls, and honorary doctorates from Berklee College. The Modern Folk Quartet , which
1408-526: A result, Lion was under pressure by independent distributors to come up with similar successes, with the result that many Blue Note albums of this era start with a catchy tune intended for heavy airplay in the United States. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters were located in New York City , at West 61st Street, and at 47 W 63rd Street. Although many of
1496-545: A stroke suffered in 1940. Towards the end of the Second World War , saxophonist Ike Quebec was among those who recorded for the label. Quebec would act as a talent scout for the label until his death in 1963. Although stylistically belonging to a previous generation, he could appreciate the new bebop style of jazz, the creation of which is usually attributed to Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker . In 1947, pianist Thelonious Monk recorded his first sessions as
1584-413: A suite by Lewis inspired by characters from Commedia dell'arte , and Lonely Woman , whose title track was one of the first recorded covers of a composition by free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman . They followed up with The Sheriff and Collaboration with guitarist Laurindo Almeida (1964), along with The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Jazz Dialogue with
1672-472: A tribute to Blue Note with samples from earlier records on the label. Blue Note has pursued an active reissue program since the mid-1980s revival. and Michael Cuscuna has worked as freelance advisor and reissue producer. Some of the original Blue Note's output has appeared in CD box sets issued by Mosaic Records (also involving Cuscuna). Blue Note Records became the flagship jazz label for Capitol Records , and
1760-401: A trio in a Stockholm club, and three studio albums (including The Empty Foxhole , with his then ten-year-old son Denardo Coleman on drums). Pianist Cecil Taylor recorded a brace of albums for Blue Note, as did trombonist Grachan Moncur III , and saxophonist Sam Rivers , drummer Tony Williams, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and organist Larry Young also recorded albums which diverged from
1848-909: A two-week residency at Club Saint-Germain in Paris. The next year they came back to Europe on their own, performing 88 concerts in four months in Germany, France, and the British Isles, receiving rave reviews. In 1957, they also recorded a self-titled studio album , the live album The Modern Jazz Quartet and the Oscar Peterson Trio at the Opera House , and Lewis's first film soundtrack , for No Sun in Venice . The group recorded The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn Volume 2 with Sonny Rollins in 1958 and 1959 saw Lewis's creation of
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#17327721145581936-480: A young boy in Berlin . He settled in New York City in 1937, and shortly after the first From Spirituals to Swing concert, recorded pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis in 1939 during a one-day session in a rented studio. The Blue Note label initially consisted of Lion and Max Margulis , a communist writer who funded the project. The label's first releases were traditional "hot" jazz and boogie woogie , and
2024-648: Is a woodwind instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece. A clarinet player is known as a clarinetist. Originally, the clarinet was a central instrument in jazz, beginning with the New Orleans players in the 1910s. It remained a signature instrument of jazz through much of the big band era into the 1940s. Larry Shields was the clarinetist for the Original Dixieland Jazz Band , the first jazz band to record commercially in 1917. The American players Ted Lewis and Jimmie Noone were pioneers of
2112-452: Is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group . Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis , it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues . Originally dedicated to recording traditional jazz and small group swing, the label began to switch its attention to modern jazz around 1947. From there, Blue Note grew to become one of
2200-399: Is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Though scat singing is improvised, the melodic lines are often variations on scale and arpeggio fragments, stock patterns and riffs , as is the case with instrumental improvisers. The deliberate choice of scat syllables is also a key element in vocal jazz improvisation. Syllable choice influences
2288-509: The avant-garde and free styles of jazz. Horace Silver , Jimmy Smith , Freddie Hubbard , Lee Morgan , Art Blakey , Grant Green , Hank Mobley , Wayne Shorter , Bobby Hutcherson , and Jackie McLean were among the label's leading artists. During its heyday, the 1950s and 1960s, the photography and graphic art of Reid Miles created a series of iconic album covers, often incorporating session photos by Francis Wolff , which added to Blue Note's artistic reputation. Lion first heard jazz as
2376-420: The percussion , double bass or bass guitar , and usually at least one instrument capable of playing chords , such as a piano , guitar , Hammond organ or vibraphone ; most will usually have more than one of these. The standard rhythm section is piano, bass, and drums. The horn section consists of a woodwind section and a brass section , which play the melody . The banjo has been used in jazz since
2464-461: The "hard bop" style usually associated with the label. Saxophonist Jackie McLean, a stalwart of the label's hard bop output since the late 1950s, also crossed over into the avant-garde in the early 1960s, whose notable avant-garde albums included One Step Beyond , Destination Out and on (as a side man) trombonist Grachan Moncur III's "Evolution". Though these avant-garde records did not sell as well as some other Blue Note releases, Lion thought it
2552-597: The 1950s. In 1951, Blue Note issued their first vinyl 10" releases. The label was soon recording emerging talent such as Horace Silver (who would stay with Blue Note for a quarter of a century) and Clifford Brown . Meanwhile, Milt Jackson (as the leader of what became the Modern Jazz Quartet ) and the Jazz Messengers (originally organised as a cooperative, but soon to become Art Blakey's group) recorded for Blue Note. The Milt Jackson Quartet session
2640-730: The 1960s, the company headquarters were moved to 1776 Broadway. In 1979, EMI purchased United Artists Records , which had absorbed Liberty Records in 1971, and phased out the Blue Note label, which lay dormant until 1985, when it was relaunched as part of EMI Manhattan Records , both for re-issues and new recordings for which Bruce Lundvall was appointed. Some artists previously associated with Blue Note, such as McCoy Tyner , made new recordings, while younger musicians such as Bennie Wallace , Joe Lovano , John Scofield , Greg Osby , Jason Moran and arranger–composer Bob Belden have established notable reputations through their Blue Note albums. The label has also found great commercial success with
2728-433: The 1970s until Jackson quit in 1974 due to frustration with their finances and touring schedule, but re-formed in 1981. They made their last released recordings in 1992 and 1993, by which time Kay had been having health issues and Mickey Roker had been his replacement drummer while Kay was unavailable. After Kay's death in 1994, the group operated on a semi-active basis, with Percy Heath's brother Albert Heath on drums until
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2816-741: The All Star Jazz Band (1965). They released a collaboration with the Swingle Singers , Place Vendôme (1966), and three live albums, Concert in Japan '66 (in Japan only), Blues at Carnegie Hall (1966), and Live at the Lighthouse (1967). They then moved from Atlantic to Apple Records , for which they released Under the Jasmin Tree (1968) and Space (1969). Lewis, who produced these albums, recalled: "Monte Kay
2904-754: The Blue Note Label Group, was at the time reporting directly to Eric Nicoli, then Chief Executive Officer of EMI Group. In 2008, the Blue Note 7 , a jazz septet , was formed in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic , which was released in 2009 on Blue Note Records/ EMI , and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January until April 2009. The group consists of Peter Bernstein (guitar), Bill Charlap (piano), Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Lewis Nash (drums), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Peter Washington (bass), and Steve Wilson (alto saxophone, flute). The group plays
2992-414: The Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951 and Brown left the group, being replaced on bass by Heath. During the early-to-mid-1950s they became the Modern Jazz Quartet, Lewis became the group's musical director, and they made several recordings with Prestige Records , including the original versions of their two best-known compositions, Lewis's " Django " and Jackson's " Bags' Groove ". Clarke left the group in 1955 and
3080-479: The Modern Jazz Quartet on December 22, 1952 which, on Prestige CEO Bob Weinstock 's insistence, were released under the group name Milt Jackson and the Modern Jazz Quartet . These recordings contained the original version of Lewis's composition "Vendome", the Quartet's first experiment with combining jazz and fugal counterpoint. Between 1953 and early 1955 the group recorded the tracks that were eventually released on
3168-735: The Montreux Jazz Festival '82 (1982), Echoes (1984), and Topsy: This One's for Basie (1985), before returning to Atlantic, recording Three Windows (1987, with the New York Chamber Symphony ) and For Ellington (1988). Kay had a stroke in 1992 and during his recovery was replaced by drummer Mickey Roker , who performed on some tracks on the group's last released recording, MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration (recorded 1992–1993, released 1994). Kay died in November 1994, after which
3256-585: The New Jazz Quartet, before the group decided to use the name Modern Jazz Quartet . In a 1992 interview, Lewis said of the name: "It was an arbitrary name, the quickest name we could get cleared for a corporation in New York state. It had nothing to do with a description of the music." Heath later recalled a conversation between the group members that occurred in Jackson's Cadillac on the way home from
3344-603: The Underworlds . It was named one of the "Best Jazz Albums of 2020" by The New York Times , and was followed by In the Spirit of Ntu in 2022, and uNomkhubulwane in 2024. There has been much sampling of classic Blue Note tracks by both hip hop artists and for mashing projects. In 1993, the group Us3 designed the entirety of its debut album upon samples from classic Blue Note records. In 2003, hip-hop producer Madlib released Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note ,
3432-454: The acoustic guitars that were common with early jazz bands, and banjos were popular for recording. Beginning in the early 1950s, some jazz bass players began to use the electric bass guitar in place of the double bass. Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion, usually the drum set , in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz-rock fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz . Stylistically, this aspect of performance
3520-445: The acts on Blue Note were recording jazz for a wide audience, the label also documented some of the emerging avant-garde and free jazz players. Andrew Hill , a highly individual pianist, made many albums for the label, one featuring multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy . Dolphy's Out to Lunch! (featuring a celebrated cover by Reid Miles ) is perhaps his best-known album. Saxophonist Ornette Coleman released two albums recorded with
3608-624: The adult market segment. The labels newly under the Blue Note umbrella are Angel Records , EMI Classics and Virgin Classics (classical music), Narada Productions (contemporary jazz and world-influenced music, including exclusively licensed sub-label Real World Records ), Back Porch Records (folk and Americana), Higher Octave Records (smooth jazz and New-age music ), and Mosaic Records (devoted exclusively to reissuing jazz recordings in limited-edition boxed sets). As of June 2007, Bruce Lundvall, founder of Manhattan Records , as President/CEO of
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3696-591: The album Django (1956), including their first recording of Lewis's composition " Django ", another signature piece for the Quartet. In 1953 they also accompanied Ben Webster and Sonny Rollins on live recordings, the former being released in 2001 as 1953: An Exceptional Encounter . In October 1953, the Quartet began its first major booking at Birdland, which was followed by appearances in Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Carnegie Hall . Reviewing their appearance at Birdland, Nat Hentoff wrote: "If
3784-536: The artists to be involved in all aspects of the record's production. Francis Wolff, a professional photographer, emigrated to the US at the end of 1939 and soon joined forces with Lion, a childhood friend. In 1941, Lion was drafted into the army for two years. Milt Gabler at the Commodore Music Store offered storage facilities and helped keep the catalog in print, with Wolff working for him. By late 1943,
3872-441: The band's pianist. The band's rhythm section now consisted of Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Ray Brown (bass), and Clarke (drums). On Gillespie's encouragement, they began to perform improvised renditions of jazz standards as a standalone unit between sets of the big band's music, as an entr'acte , a practice that had been accepted in jazz since Benny Goodman introduced his trio in 1935. Jackson later recalled: "From
3960-506: The bands of Duke Ellington and Jimmie Lunceford . In his book Visions of Jazz , Gary Giddins summed up their legacy with an explanation of the jazz scene in 1992: "... Young bands customarily performed in concert and at festivals, often in tailored suits. Composition was as widely vaunted for small ensembles as improvisation, and flawless intonation was considered vital. Such traditional jazz devices as polyphony , riffs , breaks , boogie bass, mutes , and fugal counterpoint , as well as
4048-484: The conversation was louder than the music. Of course, if it got too loud, we'd come off – just stop playing and walk off. It didn't take long for them to realize they were wasting their time because we weren't going to entertain them in that sense. We didn't have funny acts, we didn't have any costumes. We were conservatively dressed, we played conservative music, and if you didn't listen you didn't get it. We were four instruments going along horizontally, contrapuntally. There
4136-428: The decline of the big bands' popularity in the late 1940s, the clarinet faded from its prominent position in jazz and the saxophone rose in importance in many jazz bands, probably because it uses a less complicated fingering system. But the clarinet did not entirely disappear. In the late 50s, traditional jazz experienced a revival, with the notable example of clarinetist Acker Bilk 's Bristol Paramount Jazz Band. Some of
4224-401: The earliest jazz bands. The earliest use of the banjo in a jazz band was by Frank Duson in 1917, however Laurence Marrero claims it became popular in 1915. There are three common types of banjo, the plectrum banjo , tenor banjo , and cello banjo . Over time, the four-stringed tenor banjo became the most common banjo used in jazz. The drum-like sound box on the banjo made it louder than
4312-434: The finances, and Kay organized the accommodation and transportation. On July 2, 1955, the Modern Jazz Quartet recorded their last album with Prestige Records, Concorde ; its title track was Lewis's second major fugue-influenced piece for the group. In 1956, the Modern Jazz Quartet moved to Atlantic Records , which was switching from singles to LPs and began focusing on jazz under the guidance of Nesuhi Ertegun , who signed
4400-426: The first time we performed in that band as a quartet, we became prominent and a part of the band. We would play fifteen to twenty minutes, two or three tunes, and everybody loved it, including Dizzy and the band." Upon the dissolution of Gillespie's band, the rhythm section considered continuing as a quartet under Jackson's name, but they went in their own directions for the next three years. On August 18, 1951, they made
4488-494: The group disbanded permanently in 1997. Two of the four founding members of the Modern Jazz Quartet, pianist John Lewis and drummer Kenny Clarke , met and first performed together in 1944 while stationed with the US army in France during World War II. In 1946, they reconnected in New York, where Clarke, who had joined his friend Dizzy Gillespie 's big band, introduced Gillespie to Lewis, who went on to replace Thelonious Monk as
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#17327721145584576-657: The group operated on a semi-active basis; the 1995 album Dedicated to Connie , a recording of a 1960 concert in Slovenia, was released in his memory. In February 1995, Albert Heath , Percy Heath's brother, became the quartet's percussionist. Percy Heath had become tired of touring by 1997 and the group permanently disbanded in that year after a final recording date. In October 1999, Jackson died, followed by Lewis in March 2001 and Heath in April 2005. The Modern Jazz Quartet played in
4664-422: The group to music. To see other people making so much more money than we would ever see, that was a disappointment to me. I thought this group would make as much money as any group in jazz, or in music for that matter, because of what we stood for in the musical profession. Jackson on quitting the group In July 1974, Jackson quit the group, later citing frustration with their finances as his primary reason. He
4752-490: The group to the company and worked with them as a producer. In that year, they recorded the album Fontessa and had their first formal collaboration with an invited guest, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre , recorded as The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn . In October of that year the Quartet took their first trip to Europe, where they recorded for South German Radio (SDR) , performed on a month-long Birdland All-Star tour with Bud Powell , Miles Davis , and Lester Young , and had
4840-412: The group was to change the music from just a jam session, or rhythm section and soloist idea, to something more. We were all equal members, and the dress, the wearing of tuxedos, and trying to perform in concert rather than always in nightclubs, was part of what he envisioned to change the whole attitude about the music. In April 1952 they recorded for Hi-Lo Records as the Milt Jackson Quartet and also made
4928-429: The imprint announced the launch of a vinyl reissue series of classic titles, with releases selected and produced by Grammy -nominated producer and jazz expert Joe Harley. The series, named the "Tone Poet series" in honor of Harley, reissues several titles each year from the Blue Note catalogue. In 2020, Blue Note released the debut of South African artist Nduduzo Makhathini , called Modes of Communication: Letters from
5016-419: The instrument in jazz bands. The B ♭ soprano clarinet was the most common instrument, but a few early jazz musicians such as Alcide Nunez preferred the C soprano clarinet, and many New Orleans jazz brass bands have used an E ♭ soprano clarinet. Swing clarinetists such as Benny Goodman , Artie Shaw , and Woody Herman led successful big bands and smaller groups from the 1930s onward. With
5104-408: The label in 1956 and 1957 and Bud Powell briefly returned. John Coltrane 's Blue Train , and Cannonball Adderley 's Somethin' Else (featuring Miles Davis in one of his last supporting roles) were guest appearances on the label. Blue Note was by then recording a mixture of established acts (Rollins, Adderley) and artists who in some cases had recorded before, but often produced performances for
5192-520: The label was back in business recording musicians and supplying records to the armed forces. Willing to record artists that most other labels would consider to be uncommercial, in December 1943 the label initiated more sessions with artists such as pianist Art Hodes , trumpeter Sidney De Paris , clarinetist Edmond Hall , and Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson , who was returning to a high degree of musical activity after having largely recovered from
5280-569: The label which by far exceeded earlier recordings in quality ( Blue Train is often considered to be the first significant recording by Coltrane as a leader). Horace Silver and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers continued to release a series of artistically and commercially successful recordings. The early 1960s saw Dexter Gordon join the label. Gordon was a saxophonist from the bebop era who had spent several years in prison for narcotic offences, and he made several albums for Blue Note over
5368-457: The label's first hit was a performance of " Summertime " by soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet , which Bechet had been unable to record for the established companies. Musicians were supplied with alcoholic refreshments, and recorded in the early hours of the morning after their evening's work in clubs and bars had finished. The label soon became known for treating musicians uncommonly well—setting up recording sessions at congenial times, and allowing
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#17327721145585456-491: The label's revival in the 1980s, but played double bass on many other musicians' sessions. Many of these also included Freddie Hubbard , a trumpeter who also recorded for the label as a leader. One of the features of the label during this period was a "family" of musicians (Hubbard, Hancock, Carter, Grant Green, Joe Henderson , Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell , Hank Mobley and many others) who would record as sidemen on each other's albums without necessarily being part of
5544-555: The late 1940s and early 1950s were pianist Tadd Dameron , trumpeters Fats Navarro and Howard McGhee , saxophonist James Moody and pianist Bud Powell . The sessions by Powell are commonly ranked among his best. J. J. Johnson and trumpeter Miles Davis both recorded several sessions for Blue Note between 1952 and 1954, but by then the musicians who had created bebop were starting to explore other styles. The recording of musicians performing in an earlier jazz idiom, such as Sidney Bechet and clarinettist George Lewis , continued into
5632-406: The leader's working group . The early 1960s also saw three Blue Note recordings by pianist/composer Freddie Redd , one of which, The Connection , used music written for the play by Jack Gelber and its film version. In 1963, Lee Morgan scored a significant hit with the title track of The Sidewinder album, and Horace Silver did the same the following year with Song for My Father . As
5720-468: The most prolific, influential and respected jazz labels of the mid-20th century, noted for its role in facilitating the development of hard bop , post-bop and avant-garde jazz , as well as for its iconic modernist art direction. Historically, Blue Note has principally been associated with the " hard bop " style of jazz (mixing bebop with other forms of music including soul , blues, rhythm and blues and gospel ), but also recorded essential albums in
5808-487: The music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and Renee Rosnes . Following the acquisition of EMI by Universal, Don Was became President of Blue Note in January 2012, after an appointment as CEO a few months earlier, in succession to Bruce Lundvall. Lundvall, who stood down in 2010, became Chairman Emeritus In May 2013, Blue Note Records partnered with ArtistShare to form
5896-621: The newer format. Lion contemplated selling out to Atlantic at this time, an option which was not acted upon. A musician who was to become one of the label's best sellers was discovered. Jimmy Smith , the Hammond organist was signed in 1956, and performed on the label's first 12" LP album of new recordings. The mid-to-late 1950s saw debut recordings for Blue Note by (among others) Hank Mobley , Lee Morgan , Herbie Nichols , Sonny Clark , Kenny Dorham , Kenny Burrell , Jackie McLean , Donald Byrd and Lou Donaldson . Sonny Rollins recorded for
5984-486: The next year). During this period, they performed annual Christmas concerts at the New York City Town Hall ; a recording of performances from 1971 with Paul Desmond on saxophone was released in 1981. It was nothing personal. In '74, when I decided to leave, the biggest reason was I was not just disappointed but bitterly disappointed about the financial outcome of what I felt was a major contribution by
6072-412: The pitch articulation , coloration, and resonance of the performance. Another important aspect of jazz is improvisation (" jams "). Bands playing in this fashion fall under the category of jam bands . A common way to incorporate improvisation is to feature solo performances from band members made up on the spot, allowing them to showcase their skill. Blue Note Records Blue Note Records
6160-442: The soundtrack for the film Odds Against Tomorrow , originally recorded with an orchestra and released in an arrangement for the Quartet as Music from Odds Against Tomorrow (1960). In 1960, they released Pyramid and European Concert , and contributed to the third stream movement with Third Stream Music (with Jimmy Giuffre 3) and The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra . In 1962 they released The Comedy , containing
6248-459: The success of the Modern Jazz Quartet depended only on the support of jazz musicians, this could be the most in-demand unit in the country." Heath recalled: We had a hard time getting people to quiet down and listen. At that time in nightclubs, people were talking about hanging out. In order to break that down, instead of trying to play over the conversation, we'd use reverse psychology and play softer. Suddenly, they knew we were up there and realized
6336-437: The use of the violin or electric violin to improvise solo lines. Although the violin has been used in jazz recordings since the first decades of the 20th century, it is more commonly associated with folk music than jazz. Jazz musician Milt Hinton claimed that the decline in violin players coincided with the introduction of sound movies , as many violin players were used as accompaniment for silent films . The definition of
6424-419: The vocalist Norah Jones , and released new albums by established artists on the fringes of jazz such as Van Morrison , Al Green , Anita Baker and newcomer Amos Lee , sometimes referred to as the "male Norah Jones". Two of the leading trumpeters of the 1980s Jazz Resurgence, Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard signed with the label in 2003. Hip-hop producer Madlib recorded Shades of Blue in 2003 as
6512-401: The works of Bilk's jazz band reached the pop charts. In the saxophone section, all of the saxophones will play a similar melodic line, but the baritone sax doubles by occasionally joining in with the bass trombone and bass to play the bass line. A big band saxophone section typically consists of two alto saxophones , two tenor saxophones , and one baritone saxophone. Jazz violin is
6600-453: Was a change in the music, but it was early when Kenny left so it was easy to handle and adjust to. If we had to make the change later, it would have been a disaster. We had to give up a lot of pieces we played when Kenny left." Heath commented "It had to change, because there is no other Kenny Clarke. Kenny didn't want to have such orchestrated music because he was an innovator and didn't want his part dictated." Jackson said "The three years Kenny
6688-502: Was a friend of the president of the Beatles' company, and he felt we weren't getting the attention we should have, so we went there and had two good records." Returning to Atlantic, they released Plastic Dreams (1971) and The Legendary Profile (1972). In 1973 they recorded the last two studio albums before their hiatus, In Memoriam (with an orchestra conducted by Maurice Peress ) and Blues on Bach , both of which were released
6776-402: Was a one-off, but Blakey's various groups recorded for the label extensively, if intermittently, for the next decade. Rudy Van Gelder recorded most Blue Note releases from 1953, after Lion and Van Gelder's mutual friend, saxophonist and composer Gil Melle , introduced them. A difference between Blue Note and other independent labels (for example Prestige Records , who also employed Van Gelder)
6864-459: Was acquired by Liberty Records in 1965 and Lion, who had difficulties working within a larger organization, retired in 1967. Reid Miles' association with the label ended around this time. For a few years most albums were produced by Wolff or pianist Duke Pearson , who had succeeded Ike Quebec in A&;R in 1963 after he died, but Wolff died in 1971 and Pearson left in the same year. At the end of
6952-545: Was also unhappy with the group's touring schedule, which by then had become year-round rather than the previous arrangement in which they had vacations during the northern hemisphere summer. Jackson had previously used the downtime to play and record music that was not in the style of the Modern Jazz Quartet, but felt saddled in the group after they also began playing at summer jazz festivals around 1970. The jazz magazine DownBeat compared their breakup to "the abrupt disintegration of Mt. Rushmore ". In November 1974 they performed
7040-461: Was distinguished by its tinted black and white photographs, creative use of sans-serif typefaces, and restricted color palette (often black and white with a single color), and frequent use of solid rectangular bands of color or white, influenced by the Bauhaus school of design. Though Miles' work is closely associated with Blue Note and has earned iconic status and frequent homage, Miles was only
7128-452: Was important to document new developments in jazz. In 1956, Blue Note employed Reid Miles , an artist who worked for Esquire magazine. The cover art produced by Miles, often featuring Wolff's photographs of musicians in the studio, was as influential in the world of graphic design as the music within would be in the world of jazz. Under Miles, Blue Note was known for their striking and unusual album cover designs. Miles' graphical design
7216-432: Was in the group was an experimental stage. We were still looking for a direction." Monte Kay , who had by then become the group's manager, suggested that Clarke be replaced by Connie Kay (no relation), who joined the group the day after Clarke had left. The group members had come to have various responsibilities besides playing their instruments: Lewis was the musical director, Jackson handled public relations, Heath managed
7304-417: Was most active in the 1960s, took their name as a conscious parallel with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Compilations Kenny Clarke , Mickey Roker , Albert Heath Jazz combo A jazz band ( jazz ensemble or jazz combo ) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of
7392-403: Was no backup and soloist, the concept was changing. In January 1955, they returned to Birdland, and on the last night of that engagement, Clarke announced that he was quitting the band. He later said that he did so because "I wouldn't be able to play the drums my way again after four or five years of playing eighteenth-century drawing-room jazz". Lewis recalled "He was trying to find himself. There
7480-492: Was replaced as drummer by Kay, and in 1956 they moved to Atlantic Records and made their first tour to Europe. Under Lewis's direction, they carved their own niche by specializing in elegant, restrained music that used sophisticated counterpoint inspired by baroque music, yet nonetheless retained a strong blues feel. Noted for their elegant presentation, they were one of the first small jazz combos to perform in concert halls rather than nightclubs. They were initially active into
7568-533: Was shaped by its starting place, New Orleans, as well as numerous other regions of the world, including other parts of the United States , the Caribbean , and Africa . Jazz required a method of playing percussion different from traditional European styles, one that was easily adaptable to the different rhythms of the new genre, fostering the creation of jazz drumming's hybrid technique. The clarinet
7656-427: Was that musicians were paid for rehearsal time prior to the recording session: this helped ensure a better end result on the record. Producer Bob Porter of Prestige Records once said that "The difference between Blue Note and Prestige is two days' rehearsal." When the recording industry switched to 12" LP in the mid-1950s, Blue Note was in difficulties. Their catalog on the now outmoded 10" LP now had to be recreated on
7744-553: Was the parent label for the Capitol Jazz, Pacific Jazz , Roulette and other labels within Capitol's holdings which had possessed a jazz line. The "RVG series", Rudy Van Gelder remastering his own recordings from decades earlier began around 1998. In 2006, EMI expanded Blue Note to create The Blue Note Label Group by moving its Narada group of labels to New York to join with Blue Note, centralizing EMI's approach to music for
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