Lee Morgan’s magnum opus 'The Sidewinder' - recorded in 1963 and released in 1964 - was both a comeback and a coronation. The prodigious trumpeter had debuted on Blue Note in 1956 at the age of 18, but personal problems in the early-60s forced him off the scene temporarily. His rebound recording turned out to be 'The Sidewinder', an assured and energetic set of 5 indelible Morgan originals featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins. The album became his biggest commercial success fueled by the irrepressible title track.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Sidewinder
2. Totem Pole
3. Gary's Notebook
4. Boy, What A Night
5. Hocus Pocus

Legendary trumpeter Miles Davis was still near the start of his storied career when he cut the three sessions that comprise his Blue Note recordings in 1952, 1953, and 1954. Blue Note later compiled the tracks into two 12” LPs as part of the 1500 series. The music presents all the hallmarks of his early style from blazing bebop to beautiful ballads. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original masters, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Take Off
2. Weirdo
3. Would'n You
4. I Waited For You
5. Ray's Idea – Alternate Take
6. Donna

Side B
1. Well You Needn't
2. The Leap
3. Lazy Susan
4. Tempus Fugit – Alternate Take
5. It Never Entered My Mind

Kansas City born Hammond B3 organ dynamo Big John Patton made a stellar run of soul jazz albums for Blue Note thru the 1960s but Let ‘Em Roll stands among the finest with Patton adding vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson to a standard organ trio line-up with guitarist Grant Green and drummer Otis Finch.

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.

TRACK LISTING

1. Let 'Em Roll (Side A)
2. Latona (Side A)
3. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Side A)
4. The Turnaround (Side B)
5. Jakey (Side B)
6. One Step Ahead (Side B)

It’s a testament to Jimmy Smith’s volcanic creativity that the Hammond B3 organ firebrand recorded not one but two soul jazz classics—Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack—in a single day when he entered Van Gelder Studio on April 25, 1960 with Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums.

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.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Midnight Special
2. A Subtle One
Side B
3. Jumpin' The Blues
4. Why Was I Born
5. One O'Clock Jump

The Horace Silver Quintet of 1959 was a hard bop juggernaut featuring the pianist with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor & drummer Louis Hayes. Timeless originals like ‘Sister Sadie’, ‘Peace’, and the blustery title track make Blowin’ The Blues Away one of the finest entries in Silver’s formidable discography.

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.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Blowin' The Blues Away
2. The St. Vitus Dance
3. Break City
4. Peace
Side B
5. Sister Sadie
6. The Baghdad Blues
7. Melancholy Mood (New Version)

Robert Glasper’s 2005 Blue Note debut Canvas signaled the arrival of a singular new voice in jazz and his 2007 follow-up In My Element solidified his status as a rising star who was taking the music someplace new. Featuring bassist Vicente Archer & drummer Damion Reid, the album expanded the possibilities of where a modern jazz piano trio might go by delving further into his hip-hop & gospel roots.

This 2-LP Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The sound of Blue Note had been embedded in hip-hop thru sampling & remixes since its early days but Madlib raised the bar when the DJ, producer, rapper & multi-instrumentalist invaded the Blue Note vaults for his 2003 masterpiece Shades of Blue, a visionary album featuring remixes & reimaginations of classics by Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter & more.

This 2-LP Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal

Joy’All, the fifth solo album from Jenny Lewis and follow up to 2019’s critically acclaimed On The Line (Warner Records) finds the singer-songwriter embarking on a new era in a new town—and on a new label, as she joins the iconic roster of Blue Note/Capitol Records.

“I started writing some of these songs on the road, pre-pandemic... and then put them aside as the world shut down, and then from my home in Nashville in early 2021, I joined a week-long virtual songwriting workshop with a handful of amazing artists, hosted by Beck. The challenge was to write one song every day for seven days, with guidelines from Beck. The guidelines would be prompts like ‘write a song with 1-4-5 chord progression,’ ‘write a song with only cliches,’ or ‘write in free form style.’ The first song I submitted to the group was ‘Puppy and a Truck.’” As the days progressed, the assignments kept coming in and Jenny ended up writing a good portion of Joy’All.

While Joy’All pulls from a bounty of sonic inspiration–from soul to 90’s R&B, as well as country and classic singer-songwriter records the album’s rich and intimate, live sound is the hallmark of eight-time Grammy winning producer Dave Cobb (John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), whom Jenny met by chance while visiting Lucius at the Historic RCA Studio A in Nashville. A natural kinship developed between the two, and with her arsenal of songs that she had demoed on her iPhone ready to roll, Jenny texted Dave and asked him to produce her new album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Swooning country guitars, rolling basslines and Lewis' unmistakeable vocals are ever present on her latest LP, Joy'All'. The real lift here comes from the bright joy of proceedings, dealing with some sadness but with a levity and wit that's refreshing, providing a buffer to Lewis' famously deep vocal musings.

The first thing that strikes you about Kenny Burrell’s second Blue Note album, Kenny Burrell, is the cover, which features an illustration by Andy Warhol. The second is the striking music, which is drawn from four different sessions recorded in 1956 with the guitarist featured in a variety of settings.

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

Legendary labels Decca Records and Blue Note have joined forces for Blue Note Re:imagined; a brand-new collection of classic Blue Note tracks, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the UK scene’s most exciting young talents.

Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene.

“For more than eight decades the artists of Blue Note Records have continually pushed the envelope of contemporary music, and Blue Note Re:imagined II once again honours that legacy by letting the UK’s most creative young artists reinvent the treasures of the Blue Note catalogue through their own lens.” – Blue Note President, Don Was.

TRACK LISTING

1. Yazz Ahmed - It (Chick Correa)
2. Conor Albert - You Make Me Feel So Good (Bobbi Humphrey)
3. Parthenope - Don’t Know Why (Norah Jones)
4. Swindle - Miss Kane (Donald Byrd)
5. Nubiyan Twist - Through The Noise (Chant No.2) (Donald Byrd)
6. Ego Ella May - Morning Side Of Love (Chico Hamilton)
7. Oscar Jerome - Green With Envy (Grant Green)
8. Daniel Casimir Ft. Rita Moran - Lost (Wayne Shorter)
9. Theon Cross - Epistrophy (Thelonious Monk)
10. Maya Delilah - Harvest Moon (Cassandra Wilson)
11. Kay Young - Feel Like Making Love (Marlena Shaw)
12. Venna & Marco - Where Are We Going (Donald Byrd)
13. Reuben James - Infant Eyes (Wayne Shorter)
14. Binker Golding - Fort Worth (Joe Lovano)
15. Cherise - Sunrise (Norah Jones)
16. Franc Moody - Cristo Redentor (Donald Byrd)

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.”

TRACK LISTING

2CD
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird
Blue Train (false Start)
Blue Train (take 7)
Moment’s Notice (alternate Take 4)
Lazy Bird (take 1)
Blue Train (alternate Take)
Moment’s Notice (incomplete Alternate Take 5A)
Lazy Bird (alternate Take)

1LP
LP 1 | Blue Train | Original Album | Studio
Side A
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Side B
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird

2LP
LP 1 | Blue Train | Original Album | Studio
Side A
Blue Train
Moment’s Notice
Side B
Locomotion
I’m Old Fashioned
Lazy Bird
LP 2 | Blue Train | Alternate And Incomplete Takes
Side A
Blue Train (false Start)
Blue Train (take 7)
Moment’s Notice (alternate Take 4)
Lazy Bird (take 1)
Side B
Blue Train (alternate Take)
Moment’s Notice (incomplete Alternate Take 5A)
Lazy Bird (alternate Take)

Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. This 7” single features two covers from the upcoming album, from Ego Ella May and Theon Cross. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene.

iconoclastic saxophonist and composer ornette coleman shook the jazz world when he arrived at the five spot café in new york city in 1959 and began his run of seminal albums on atlantic that laid the foundation for the free jazz movement to come.

after a period of disillusionment during which he withdrew from public music making, coleman re-emerged on blue note in 1966 and began writing an intriguing new chapter of his legendary career. the boxset round trip: ornette coleman on blue note presents all-analog 180g tone poet vinyl editions of all six albums featuring coleman that were recorded for blue note records, including his five albums as a leader—the two-volume at the ‘golden circle’ stockholm (1965), the empty foxhole (1966), new york is now! (1968), and love call (1968)—as well as his lone sideman appearance on new and old gospel (1967) by fellow saxophonist jackie mclean. the boxset includes a booklet featuring rare photos and an enlightening essay by critic thomas conrad. the tone poet audiophile vinyl reissue series is produced by joe harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180g audiophile vinyl reissues packaged in deluxe stoughton printing “old style” gatefold tip-on jackets. mastering is by kevin gray (cohearent audio), and vinyl is manufactured at record technology incorporated (rti).

“One of the best debut albums of all time” – Rolling Stone

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.

4-LP & 3-CD DELUXE EDITIONS INCLUDE:
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

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Newly remastered standalone 1-LP includes original gatefold packaging and brief liner notes from Norah, exclusive to this release
Newly remastered 1-CD jewelcase with liner notes from Norah
Dolby Atmos release of The Demos, First Sessions EP, and the Allaire Sessions

TRACK LISTING

Standard Tracklisting
1. Don’t Know Why (Side A)
2. Seven Years (Side A)
3. Cold Cold Heart (Side A)
4. Feellin’ The Same Way (Side A)
5. Come Away With Me (Side A)
6. Shoot The Moon (Side A)
7. Turn Me On (Side A)
8. Lonestar (Side B)
9. I’ve Got To See You Again (Side B)
10. Painter Song (Side B)
11. One Flight Down (Side B)
12. Nightingale (Side B)
13. The Long Day Is Over (Side B)
14. The Nearness Of You (Side B)

Deluxe CD Tracklist
CD 1 | Come Away With Me - 20th Anniversary Remaster
1. Don’t Know Why
2. Seven Years
3. Cold Cold Heart
4. Feelin’ The Same Way
5. Come Away With Me
6. Shoot The Moon
7. Turn Me On
8. Lonestar
9. I’ve Got To See You Again
10. Painter Song
11. One Flight Down
12. Nightingale
13. The Long Day Is Over
14. The Nearness Of You
CD 2 | The Demos / First Sessions Outtakes / First Sessions EP
1. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
2. Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
3. World Of Trouble
4. The Only Time
5. I Didn’t Know About You
6. Something Is Calling You Tabla Version
7. Just Like A Dream Today
8. When Sunny Gets Blue
9. What Am I To You
10. Hallelujah I Love Him So
11. Daydream
12. Don’t Know Why
13. Come Away With Me
14. Something Is Calling You
15. Turn Me On
16. Lonestar
17. Peace
Tracks 1-11 Previously Unreleased
Tracks 12-17 Previously Released As The Promo-only First Sessions EP
CD 3 | The Allaire Sessions
1. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
2. I’ve Got To See You Again *
3. What Would I Do
4. Come Away With Me*
5. Picture In A Frame**
6. Nightingale*
7. Peace*
8. What Am I To You*
9. Painter Song*
10. Turn Me On*
11. A Little At A Time
12. One Flight Down*
13. Fragile
* Alternate Version
** Alternate Mix
All Tracks Previously Unreleased Except “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” And “Picture In A Frame”
Original Recordings Produced By Jesse Harris, Todd Horton, Norah Jones, Jay Newland, Arif Mardin, & Craig Street
20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition: Produced By Eli Wolf

Super Deluxe 4LP Tracklisting:
LP 1 | Come Away With Me - 20th Anniversary Remaster
Side A
Don’t Know Why
Seven Years
Cold Cold Heart
Feelin’ The Same Way
Come Away With Me
Shoot The Moon
Turn Me On
Side B
Lonestar
I’ve Got To See You Again
Painter Song
One Flight Down
Nightingale
The Long Day Is Over
The Nearness Of You

LP 2 | The Demos
Side A
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
World Of Trouble
The Only Time
I Didn’t Know About You
Side B
Something Is Calling You Tabla Version
Just Like A Dream Today
When Sunny Gets Blue
What Am I To You
Hallelujah I Love Him So
Daydream

LP 3 | First Sessions EP
Side A
Don’t Know Why
Come Away With Me
Something Is Calling You
Side B
Turn Me On
Lonestar
Peace
Previously Released As A Promo-only CD

LP4 | The Allaire Sessions
Side A
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
I’ve Got To See You Again *
What Would I Do
Come Away With Me *
Picture In A Frame **
Nightingale *
Side B
Peace *
What Am I To You *
Painter Song *
Turn Me On *
A Little At A Time
One Flight Down *
Fragile
* Alternate Version
** Alternate Mix
All Tracks Previously Unreleased Except “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” And “Picture In A Frame”

Original Recordings Produced By Jesse Harris, Todd Horton, Norah Jones, Jay Newland, Arif Mardin, & Craig Street

20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition: Produced By Eli Wolf

When did Tony Allen’s There Is No End become my album of the year? July 24th, Night & Day cafe, DJing. I had just put needle to groove on “Rich Black”, naively unprepared for the bass to meet the bar’s booming soundsystem - and then it HIT! The dancefloor was probably fearing for its life, but I was in love.

A collaborative hip hop masterpiece, There Is No End has a real exploratory feel to it, which (as Allen’s spoken word introduction points out) is the whole purpose of the album - to push, to innovate, and to move, through music. With various up-and-coming singers, rappers, and poets lending their talents to each song, the tracklist reads like a supergroup of Next Big Things: there’s Lava La Rue’s no-nonsense flow and controlled beauty, The Koreatown Oddity’s comic images and hard-hitting home truths, Ben Okri’s inspired mess of creationist myths, fairytale tropes, and apocalyptic visions, and Sampa the Great’s unnerving, vocoded whisper loops - and that's just a fraction of the mavericks on mic duty here.

All this is to say nothing of the drumming. “Brilliant” would be a gross understatement of just how diverse and original Allen’s beats are - by turns claustrophobic, metronomic, wild, and stuttering, the drums make each song as distinct and… well, brilliant, as the vocals do. Throw swampy bass synths, thickly affected backing vox, and a smorgasbord of tuned percussion into the mix, and what you get is There Is No End: a dizzying swan-song by one of music’s great innovators, and a glimpse into hip-hop’s bright, bright future.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There are very few drummers (no shade on drummers here) that would be well known of their own accord like Tony Allen is. Having been consistently inventive and undeniably brilliant throughout his life all the way up to his 2020 masterpiece with Hugh Massakela, 'Rejoice', it's really no surprise that this Posthumous release is chock-full of wonderful rhythmic surprises, and has a lineup of perfectly chosen guests. A fittingly wonderful album from one of the greatest (and original) Afrobeat drummers of all time.

TRACK LISTING

CD (14 Tracks)
Tony’s Praeludium
Tony Allen

Stumbling Down
Tony Allen Featuring Sampa The Great

Crushed Grapes
Tony Allen Featuring Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

Très Magnifique
Tony Allen Featuring Tsunami

Mau Mau
Tony Allen Featuring Nah Eeto

Coonta Kinte
Tony Allen Featuring Zelooperz

Rich Black
Tony Allen Featuring Koreatown Oddity

One Inna Million
Tony Allen Featuring Lava La Rue

Gang On Holiday (Em I Go We?)
Tony Allen Featuring Jeremiah Jae

Deer In Headlights
Tony Allen Featuring Danny Brown

Hurt Your Soul
Tony Allen Featuring Nate Bone

My Own
Tony Allen Featuring Marlowe

Cosmosis
Tony Allen Featuring Ben Okri + Skepta

There’s No End
Tony Allen

2LP (12 Tracks)
There Is No End
Tony Allen

Rich Black
Tony Allen Featuring Koreatown Oddity

Coonta Kinte
Tony Allen Featuring Zelooperz

One Inna Million
Tony Allen Featuring Lava La Rue

Stumbling Down
Tony Allen Featuring Sampa The Great

Crushed Grapes
Tony Allen Featuring Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

Gang On Holiday (Em I Go We?)
Tony Allen Featuring Jeremiah Jae

Mau Mau
Tony Allen Featuring Nah Eeto

Très Magnifique
Tony Allen Featuring Tsunami

Hurt Your Soul
Tony Allen Featuring Nate Bone

Cosmosis
Tony Allen Featuring Ben Okri + Skepta

My Own
Tony Allen Featuring Marlowe

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already led nine dates for Blue Note Records by the time he arrived at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio on February 7, 1960 with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, but on that day the quartet laid down what would become his masterpiece: Soul Station.

The crystalline six-song set was a showcase for Mobley’s lyrical flow from the breezy opening take on Irving Berlin’s “Remember” through bluesy originals like “Dig Dis” and the title track, and the swinging up-tempo numbers “This I Dig of You” and “Split Feelin’s.” Soul Station endures as a jazz classic for the ages..

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.

TRACK LISTING

1. Remember
2. This I Dig Of You
3. Dig Dis
4. Split Feelin’s
5. Soul Station
6. If I Should Lose You 

More than any other album in the canon of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, 1958’s Moanin’ — featuring the great drummer with trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt —was the perfect crystallization of the band’s bluesy, soulful sound, and it still stands today as perhaps the most quintessential hard bop recording of all-time.

Originally self-titled, the album was later renamed Moanin’ due to the popularity of Timmons’ unforgettable opening track. The album also introduced several indelible Golson compositions that would become standards of the jazz songbook including “Along Came Betty” and “Blues March.”

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.

TRACK LISTING

1. Moanin’
2. Are You Real
3. Along Came Betty
4. The Drum Thunder Suite
5. Blues March
6. Come Rain Or Come Shine

“Is that what you wanted, Alfred?” we hear in Miles Davis’ unmistakable rasp at the end of “One for Daddy-O,” making it clear that the legendary (and assertive) trumpeter was not just playing the role of sideman on Somethin’ Else, the sole Blue Note album by Cannonball Adderley. The alto saxophonist was a member of Davis’ band at the time and the depth of their musical camaraderie lifts this session up to rarefied heights throughout, from the breath-taking performance of “Autumn Leaves” that opens the album to the thrilling call-and-response theme of the title track. Pianist Hank Jones, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Art Blakey round out the quintet on this timeless classic. 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.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Autumn Leaves
A2. Love For Sale
B1. Somethin' Else
B2. One For Daddy-O
B3. Dancing In The Dark

Blue Note Records release Just Coolin’, a never-before-released studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers that was recorded on March 8, 1959 in Rudy Van Gelder's living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The session featured a short-lived line-up of The Jazz Messengers with drummer Art Blakey, trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. 

The session for Just Coolin’ finds The Jazz Messengers’ saxophone chair in transition. The band had last recorded in October 1958 when they cemented their place in jazz history with the classic album Moanin’ featuring Benny Golson on tenor saxophone. By July 1959, Blakey had recruited tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter who would remain a fixture of the band until 1964.

The interim saw the return of Mobley, who was a charter member of The Jazz Messengers when the band first formed in 1954 and appeared on their debut recording The Jazz Messengers At The Café Bohemia in 1955. Mobley also filled an important role as the band’s resident composer. In fact, three of the six tracks on Just Coolin’ were written by Mobley: “Hipsippy Blues,” “M&M,” and “Just Coolin’.”

However, five weeks after the studio session Blue Note founder and producer Alfred Lion decided to record the band again at the legendary club Birdland in New York City on April 15, 1959, capturing an assured live recording that included four of the six titles that had been recorded in March. The Birdland sessions ended up superseding the studio date when Lion instead released the two-volume live album Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers At The Jazz Corner Of The World later that year.

“In 2020, it’s great to find more Morgan, Mobley and Timmons in their prime,” writes Bob Blumenthal in the liner notes for Just Coolin’. “The music had clearly settled in during the month that separated studio and live versions, but the fire of these six tracks has an appeal of its own.”

Now, 61 years later jazz fans all over the world will have the chance to listen for themselves.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE 1
1. Hipsippy Blues (Hank Mobley)
2. Close Your Eyes (Bernice Petkere)
3. Jimerick (unknown)

SIDE 2
1. Quick Trick (Bobby Timmons)
2. M&M (Hank Mobley)
3. Just Coolin’ (Hank Mobley)

The trumpet/flugelhorn legend’s 1960 album. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on 19th June 1960. Featuring Tina Brooks (tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Sam Jones (bass) and Clifford Jarvis (drums). Features classic self-penned pieces such as the title track and ‘Hub’s Nub’, plus unique takes on the standards ‘But Beautiful’, ‘All Or Nothing At All’ and ‘One Mint Julep’. Produced by Blue Note co-founder Alfred Lion.
The famous album cover designed and photographed by other co-founder Francis Wolff. Liner notes by the much-respected, recently-deceased jazz writer Ira Gitler.

TRACK LISTING

Open Sesame
But Beautiful
Gypsy Blue
All Or Nothing At All
One Mint Julep
Hub's Nub

Herbie’s classic debut album was originally recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on 28th May 1962.
Featuring a truly impressive quintet of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Dexter Gordon (tenor), Butch Warren (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums), "Takin' Off" is rooted firmly in hard bop but also showcasing the exquisite ballad ‘Alone And I’.
Features the all-time classic Herbie standard ‘Watermelon Man’, a top 100 pop hit for Herbie and #10 hit for Mongo Santamaria. The famous cover art was designed and photographed by Reid Miles.

TRACK LISTING

Watermelon Man
Three Bags Full
Empty Pockets
The Maze
Drftin'
Alone & I

Shop favourites (2016 end-of-year chart high-rollers) Gogo Penguin return for their latest outing on legendary jazz label, Blue Note. The thing about Gogo penguin is, they're a jazz band, but without all the things you'd associate with a jazz band. The beards are as few as their years, and the chin-stroking is not only minimal, but actively discouraged. Their last outing (the stunning 'Man Made Object') mixed the subtle downtempo percussion and slowly unfurling progressions of traditional jazz with tender, minimalistic electronics and ambient textures reminiscent of modern-classical contemporaries liberally littered around the Erased Tapes roster.

Whilst their compositions are completely instrumental, there seems to be a wealth of outside influence making itself known through the phrasing and keys used. While 2015 / 2016 were in no way dream years for society in general, it was clear that there was a playfulness in their delivery of songs like 'Quiet Mind' (incidentally, this particular piece reminded me of the other 'Penguin' band, no bad thing).

As soon as we finish the frenetic buzzing and claustrophobic atmospheres of 'Prayer', it becomes clear that the rather torrid world climate has indeed osmosed into their compositions, swapping out the languid bobbing atmospheres of yesteryear for a highly charged, powerfully visceral sound experience. While the melodic counterpoints are as ever, impeccably realised (and perfectly accentuated by Turner's mindblowing skin-smacking), the euphoric peak is often hidden behind a flurry of call-response dialogue, the peak only being reached through an intentionally laboured conversational swell.

While throughout the album, the simmering malaise invariably breaks through into a grand and sweeping relief, it is in pieces like 'A Hundred Moons' that we get the full-force of their compositional genius, breaking through the residual gloom with airy, tropical percussion and a cleansing palate of major-key lifts and twinkling plucks. Without waxing lyrical about every song in turn, there really isn't much more that can be said, you'll just have to listen to it yourself. Truth of the matter is, Gogo Penguin are one of a kind, and continue to pioneer their own spellbinding brand of electronic jazz. 

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

2 track 12" on Blue Note

Limited to 200 copies.

"Blue Train" is John Coltrane's only collection of sides as a principal artist for Blue Note. The album is packed with sonic evidence of Coltrane's innate leadership abilities. He not only addresses the tunes at hand, but also simultaneously reinvents himself as a multifaceted interpreter of both hard bop as well as sensitive balladry - touching upon all forms in between. The personnel on "Blue Train" is arguably as impressive as what they're playing. Joining Coltrane (tenor sax) are Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The triple horn arrangements incorporate an additional sonic density that remains a trademark unique to both this band and album. Of particular note is Fuller's even-toned trombone, which bops throughout the title track as well as the frenetic "Moments Notice". Other solos include Paul Chambers' subtly understated riffs on "Blue Train" as well as the high energy and impact from contributions by Lee Morgan and Kenny Drew during "Locomotion". The track likewise features some brief but vital contributions from Philly Joe Jones - whose efforts throughout the record stand among his personal best. Of the five pieces that comprise the original "Blue Train", the Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer ballad "I'm Old Fashioned" is the only standard; in terms of unadulterated sentiment, this version is arguably untouchable. Fuller's rich tones and Drew's tastefully executed solos cleanly wrap around Jones' steadily languid rhythms. Without reservation, "Blue Train" can easily be considered in and among the most important and influential entries not only of John Coltrane's career, but of the entire genre of jazz music as well.

Blue Note President Don Was says, “Two years ago, we began remastering the jewels of the Blue Note catalogue in hi-def resolutions of 96k and 192k. In order to develop a guiding artistic philosophy for this delicate endeavor, we donned our lab coats, ran dozens of sonic experiments and carefully referenced every generation of our reissues. Ultimately, we decided that our goal would be to protect the original intentions of the artists, producers and engineers who made these records and that, in the case of pre-digital-era albums, these intentions were best represented by the sound and feel of their first-edition vinyl releases. Working with a team of dedicated and groovy engineers, we found a sound that both captured the feel of the original records while maintaining the depth and transparency of the master tapes... the new remasters are really cool!

While these new versions will become available in digital hi-def, CD and Mastered for iTunes formats, the allure of vinyl records is WAY too potent to ignore. This year, Blue Note - along with our friends at Universal Music Enterprises - is launching a major 75th Anniversary vinyl Initiative that is dedicated to the proposition that our catalogue should be readily available, featuring high quality pressings and authentic reproductions of Blue Note's iconic packaging. Although this program begins in celebration of Blue Note's 75th Anniversary, our catalog runs so deep that we will faithfully be reissuing five albums a month for many years to come!”

TRACK LISTING

Blue Train 10:40
Moment's Notice 9:08
Locomotion 7:12
I'm Old Fashioned 7:55
Lazy Bird 7:04