Guide to Blue Note Records (Jazz Label Guide No. 4; Episode 342)

[@johng.4711]

You’ve produced another important resource for collectors and musicians! Thanks!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you for watching. It was fun to do.

[@Raypirri]

What a brilliant, informative and quality presentation! Man, you nail this -every time!. Fantastic backstories which helps to appreciate Jazz even more. Please keep these rolling. Dig Jazz

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks - I'm grateful they have found an appreciative audience!

[@shawnrsd]

you and WCB JAZZ VINYL are my go to guys, ur videos are so good, im quite new to hard bop, im really an old soul boy at heart who also through the jazz dance scene in london have a love of jazz. im more a cd buyer since 91- 92 which included miles davis kind of blue as my first jazz purchase, i have loads of jazz funk but hard bop is new to me and i have started buying either tone poet or orig jazz classic vinyl, many on the back of ur videos. thank you so much

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks very much for taking the time to comment. Very glad you find the videos helpful.

[@vinylarchaeologist]

I agree with you on the sound of original Blue Note pressings. They are certainly hit-and-miss, and nowhere near as amazing as collectors who have spent thousand on them will tell you. But they do have a lot of character. Ultimately, Blue Notes will sound good on any format that gets you excited about the music.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Yes, that’s well said.

[@dunkkusaarinen]

Everyone watch the rest of the videos, all great❤

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

You're very kind!

[@philippackermann3751]

Thanks for the comprehensive video, good to have you back! When I started to dive deeper into jazz after years of listening casually to albums from a few artists I knew, I was turned off by Miles and Trane and quickly drawn into the lure of Blue Note. I'm still wading through their catalogue, taking my time, and while I have started to dig into those "Rolls Royce" artists and other labels, a lot of BN artists and albums remain my favorites. I once read that jazz did not only consist of innovators, but also of consolidators who based their styles on innovations of others and consolidated these ideas. Players like Hank Mobley, Cannonball Adderley or Art Farmer could carefully work out their styles because they didn't have that urge to innovate like Miles or Trane did. I think I'm really drawn to that more relaxed approach to finding unique voice in jazz, whereas that restless urge to do something new or different.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Great insight. I think we all have our own paths into this music. Including the musicians!

[@7and12inchvinyl]

Please don't go away again at least not for a long time you'll really missed you are so informed and generally project that in your videos that I can't think of anyone else I'd rather watch on KZbin keep up the great work and like everyone else will probably say we missed you

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

You’re very kind! One of the complications of life is occasionally having to bring extra focus to my real job (while not forgetting about family life). I love working on the channel but every now and then I have to postpone indulging myself.

[@7and12inchvinyl]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews I get it very much so but you do a great job and every time you post a new video. I'm there whether I'm into the music that you're doing or not? But iat 77 years old. I'm pretty much in the role of a great jazz fan and I enjoy all that you do

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@7and12inchvinyl Thank you sir!

[@ergloo6660]

So glad you're back, hope you're refreshed after "break" I'm not a jazz newbie but still find your videos very informative and they fill gaps in my knowledge

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you. I appreciate your support.

[@mortofon]

Great to have you back, Allan, and with a real banger too! ... ('Saving this one for later in the week, when I can watch in one sitting ;-)

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks. Yes it’s a bit long this one. Ah well.

[@matts9064]

Great notes! As a life long fan of Blue Note I know the stories and have soaked up the label’s history intensely over the last 30 plus years. Your notes hit all the right spots! A great primer all around. Cheers!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks very much Matt. A labour of love.

[@Permitmon]

Exceptional. Thank you!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you liked it!

[@vinylarchaeologist]

19:50 Small note: that‘s not a photo of Reid Miles, that‘s Woody Allen. His Discogs page has the right photo, a guy with shades and big ‘stache 😊

[@johng.4711]

Yes that’s absolutely Woody Allen by photographer Timothy White. Prints from that session are still for sale in galleries.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

You know, I thought that looked like Woody Allen. But it was the only photo that popped up on the whole Internet when you search for Reid Miles and it looked slightly more manly than Woody Allen. So I second guessed myself and put it in. Gah.

[@vinylarchaeologist]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews Yep, it does come up as first result. Never trust the internet when it comes to images, especially for rarely-photographed personalities. But even then, as a random example: still to this day a picture of Donald Byrd‘s girlfriend from the late 1950s spooks around the internet as being “Billie Holiday”, when it‘s clearly not her.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Here's how I was deceived: jazzineurope.mfmmedia.nl/2022/09/reid-miles-the-guy-who-designed-blue-note/. A lesson for you kids out there... double check your work!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Indeed. The last time I made this error was mislabelling Nellie Monk as Naima Coltrane. That's what I get for editing late at night!

[@peoplelikeus123]

Brilliant. Thanks for all the info

[@chesnut72]

Thank you so much for creating this video!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

My pleasure. Glad you liked it.

[@marksheargold5536]

Great stuff Alan. Really enjoyable. And well researched. Thank you.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@edwardevans652]

Welcome back, Allan! Thank you for returning with a fantastic history lesson from my favorite Jazz Label, Blue Note Records. I love the Groove and Grease of a Alfred and Frank Hammond B3 album and suggest you revisit Jimmy Smith’s “Cool Blues,” “Prayer Meetin” and Grant Green’s “First Stand.” Those albums won’t make you an organ Jazz convert, but it may change your mind and opinion on how much Soul and back to the church spirit that emanates from so many of those records.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Noted - and will explore!

[@edwardevans652]

@TenMinuteRecordReviews Excellent, sir. And if those selections grab ya, I will also suggest you revisit Smith’s “Back at the Chicken Shack” and “Midnight Special.” I believe those selections along with “Prayer Meetin” are the best entry points for the great J.O.S.

[@bacarandii]

This is an invaluable overview -- and a joy to watch, so thank you! (I see you have a video on Curtis Counce, and I can't wait to catch that one. "You Get More Bounce..." is about to be reissued.) I'm no audiophile (although I do have a nice collection of vintage amplifiers and receivers from the '60s and '70s that I love listening to, probably because they deliver the rich, vivid, textured sound I grew up with) but, as much as I love (and fetishize) great old records and their memorable labels, it's the music that matters most to me. I could afford to be something of a "completist" with my favorite pop artists in the '70s or '80s (Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder...) when artists put out new LPs every year or two, but I could never have kept up with the mid-century musicians on Blue Note, Contemporary, Prestige, or Impulse! Thanks again for all your terrific work here. I'm off to explore more of your videos..

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks! A labour of love.

[@Valleyplant]

Thanks for the video! Personally, I don’t discriminate between any of the series or eras in my collection. Found a Vg+ Kenny Burrell “Midnight Blue” OG mono Deepgroove for $35 last weekend!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

What a score!

[@dgmono]

I enjoyed your talk! I'd add to what you said and say that WOR's Doug Hawkins was a great engineer IMO; the 1952 Horace Silver Trio and Milt Jackson sessions recorded for BN are some of the best examples of his work. I 100% agree with you about Rudy's mastering work compared to modern masterings of his BN recordings. It's really hard to find OGs in great condition, and even when they're clean, they lack what I call the "accuracy" of modern reissues. But I think it's important to distinguish between sound quality issues caused by Rudy's mastering choices vs. record wear and damage. I'm with you though, the reputation of OG Blue Notes is a bit inflated when it comes to sound quality and hence so are the records' values. You make an interesting point about the most famous/legendary jazz musicians not recording for BN, however I'm not sure I'm in full agreement. Monk recorded for BN first and exclusively for five years. Miles recorded several 78s and 10-inches for them. Herbie, of course, was exclusively theirs for a while. What also needs to be considered is that a lot of legends left smaller labels as a sheer matter of economics (RE: Trane, Impulse was backed by ABC). Even Jimmy Smith eventually left BN for Verve.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment. And of course you are right that Blue Note does have representation from “the greats.” Though it’s hard to maintain that, Monk aside, any of those made their greatest contributions on Blue Note. I suppose my point is really to suggest the irony of Blue Note’s reputation being primarily cemented later on by some excellent musicians who have not really endured as household names.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

And an interesting note about Hawkins. Will need to investigate! Thanks again for sharing these thoughts.

[@Drforrester31]

That was an hour well-spent, thank you so much for your hard work sir. I do think one ommission from the video was not name-dropping Grant Green as a Blue Note workhorse, dude was all over their discography. But that doesn't detract from the great information you shared with us, I like the characterization of BN as a label that was just releasing good music played by incredible musicians and not solely preoccupied with landing the biggest names in the scene

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you, and yes there are a few omissions when it comes to famous Blue Note names. In addition to Grant Green, Freddie Hubbard and Blue Mitchell probably deserved a shout-out as well. And yes, their consistency was amazing and no doubt due to Alfred’s focus on the music above all else.

[@D.E.E.P.Y.]

That's a good one! Regarding Japanese pressings: that's a really nice way a get a minty copy of an album that also sounds great. King Records (GXK, GXF) are very consistently good sounding. Choice of Toshiba EMI only if you found an album that you were looking for a really long time. Otherwise, Blue Note Classic and Note Poet for sure rock it for all the rest. Music Matters, Analog Productions are just too overprised now on secondary market for the value they bring. p.s: Can't wait to see Herbie Hancock play in Montreal is 2 weeks.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you. Good point about the Kings. I had a lot more to say about pressings for good and ill but left my half formed thoughts on the cutting room floor. I’m generally a fan of Japanese vinyl.

[@JazzVinylSurfer]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews Maybe an idea for a upcoming video. The difference between Japanese pressings done by KING, Victor Music Industries, Toshiba-EMI and so on. These three did a lot of work when it comes to quality Blue Note, Prestige, Mercury, Impulse releases.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@JazzVinylSurfer Would be a great video -- I'd watch it! -- but would probably require more knowledge about these companies than I will ever have.🙂

[@gigsfunk]

Impossible but fun question that I ask a lot, what in your opinion is the most Blue Note of Blue Note albums ? Mines Messengers Big Beat btw.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Great question. I guess my nomination would be Blue Note 1540, Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan: - Silver, Byrd, Morgan and Chambers all present - horns to the forefront - Miles design, Wolff photo - absolutely typical Rudy piano sound - 1500 series release - track list is four lengthy, up-tempo blowers, all originals

[@mymixture965]

It is all about taste. I love the original Blue Note Monos but you MUST play them on a dedicated mono system. Then they are hard to beat and to me only Roy Dunan on Contemporary is as good as Blue Note. Ellington on Blue Note was never possible, Blue Note was an independent label and could not pay the big artists but they brought us the Avantgarde of the day. Who gave Monk a chance? And I like organ Jazz, maybe because I play in an organ Jazz band 🙂. The value is based on the many collectors who want them, supply and demand and this is not Blue Note fault. So as you see in my comments, I am a Blue Note collector and I have most of them up to the time the company was sold, about 450 records. I have about 70 originals and a lot Japanese pressings and I can recommend the King pressings, they sound fantastic and are as good as the Tone Poets to me. As a professional musician I maybe listen a little different than the audiophile community. Great video anyway, thank you for doing that.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks Wolfgang. Point noted about the Kings... must investigate further. And I agree about Roy DuNann. To me, he is at the top of the heap.