How relevant is Blue Note in contemporary jazz?

[Ed S]

I check out the Blue Note website from time to time and wonder what the hell is up with that label? I'm talking about their lineup of contemporary artists - not the reissue stuff. There was a time - especially when the BNBB was active, that I looked to Blue Note not only for their reissues, but also for their new releases. I know a lot of you guys had dismissed Blue Note as a contemporary label of any relevance long ago. But I have a ton of 90s Blue Notes in my collection - Scofield, Ralph Peterson, Bill Stewart, Charlie Hunter, Tim Hagans, Rodney Jones, Benny Green, Kevin Hays, Eliane Elias, Renee Rosnes - stuff like that. Even 3 years ago at the time of the demise of the BNBB, there was stuff I'd buy. I happen to enjoy the MMW, Soulive, St Germain, Ronny Jordan, Karl Denson releases. But there were also Bill Charlap, Jason Moran, Osby, Stefon Harris, di Battista, Terasson. All in all I though the label did a decent job in today's market of releasing some solid maintream jazz offerings and some decent stuff in the jam/groove/dance sort of vein. A good enough job for me to look to them - probably because of some misguided brand loyalty as much as anything - and pick up many of their offerings.

But for the last couple of years, it's been Norah Jones, Amos Lee, Karen Anne that get all the bandwith at the BN site. Seemingly, there are very few legit jazz releases. I know they have Blanchard and Glasper and the new Andrew Hill release is now up on the site. But do they have any other artists signed? Are Osby, Moran, Harris still with the label? There's a bunch of Blue Note for lovers releases on the site and the news is typically dominated by the aforementioned trio and Marsalis, if he is even still with the label.

I guess I just think it's kind of sad that the label has sunk so far out of my consciousness when I think of today's jazz scene. That's translated to my reissue purchases as well. If I have it already - be it McMaster or on a Mosaic - I'm not re-buying it.

Bummer.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Ed Swinnich

[Ed S]

I forgot Digable Planets!!!!!

[montg]

I was thinking the same thing recently when I visited the website. Absolutely pathetic.

Have you seen the Verve website recently? It's even worse..Paul Anka, Jaime Cullum, Will Downing, and of course Diana Krall everywhere.

The 'major labels' are dead. Long live the indies. And the brave souls in Europe who continue to record and release American jazz artists. Thank you Gerry Teekens.

Edited January 29, 2006 by montg

[brownie]

Let's face it, Blue Note is no longer relevant in contemporary jazz

Have not purchased any of their new releases in a long time although I will get the new Andrew Hill when it appears!

BN reissues from an era when BN was the reference are a different matter ...

[sidewinder]

The label last seemed to be on a real roll back in the late 80s/early 90s with Don Pullen, Ralph Peterson 'Fotet, Geri Allen and Tony William's Quintet (those were the days..) but seemed to lose it there-after.

[Sundog]

The new "Music For Lovers" series pretty much says it all.

[JSngry]

The recent Glasper side was interesting, but hardly compelling.

The same could be said about much of "contemporary jazz" in general.

Which may be a big part of the problem...

[kh1958]

It still seems like the best major jazz label to me (perhaps faint praise).

I like all of Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Eric Trufazz, and Stephan Harris.

Moran's Same Mother and Osby's last trio releases were terrific, in my opinion.

[JSngry]

Yeah, I give them points for keeping a modicum of "real" jazz artists on the active roster in what are no doubt "challenging" times for such music.

As for the rest of it, hey, they're doing what they think they have to do to remain a Viable Corporate Entity, and they seem to be succeeding. Whether or not their strategy is providing short-term gain to the label's "headroom" at the expense of long-term viability for the music they'd like to be putting out is a question that can only be determined in retrospect. It could go either way.

[Sundog]

I think the last "new" Blue Note album I bought was Stefano di Battista's Parker's Mood. Which I think is quite good.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Sundog

[Ed S]

I enjoyed the recent Moran, Truffaz, and Osby releases as well. But those are releases from last summer and from a year ago in Moran's case. Harris' last effort was from 2004 I think. I guess the label's jazz releases are too few and far between to keep them in my consciousness.

[clifford_thornton]

They can't go too far down the tubes, or else they won't be able to fund those reissues...

[Dr. Rat]

I've heard and played over the air most of the stuff they've put out over the past six years or so, and there's something just tired about their whole concept of jazz, if you asked me. There are solid and respectable releases, but a LOT of the mainstream and "progressive" releases really just seem to be musicians going through the paces.

To me, the non-jazz releases sometimes come as a relief from that. On the other hand, the label and the jazz musicians working for it don't seem to be inspired by the strange company, so there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of good in it for jazz fans.

It almost seems as if the label has split in two--jazz musicians playing for other jazz musicians (which is about as interesting as writers writing for other writers) and pop musicians playing for all and sundry.

The right road, it would seem to me, would be a middle one between these two, but I don't know if there's actually a road there or not.

--eric

[JSngry]

Joe Lovano with Al Green might be something I'd pay to hear, as would an encounter between Anita Baker & Cassandra Wilson backed by MM&W.

I'm serious.

Edited January 30, 2006 by JSngry

[Aggie87]

How about Norah Jones guesting on Charlie Hunter's album?

[JSngry]

That was good!

But Charlie don't live there no more...

[ep1str0phy]

Joe Lovano with Al Green might be something I'd pay to hear, as would an encounter between Anita Baker & Cassandra Wilson backed by MM&W.

I'm serious.

I'm sure Lovano is flexible enough to deal with Green's context (and hey, who wouldn't want to hear a Baker/Wilson/MM&W collaboration--at least for curiosity's sake). Anyway, now that Hill is back on Blue Note, I'd love to see him work with some of the Osby crowd again. Synergy, baby.

[Indestructible!]

I'd like to hear a "new" ScoLoHoFo... with NoJo...

ScoLoHoFoNoJo!

And I'm serious about that!

Cheers,

Shane

[JSngry]

Yo - Mofo!

[GA Russell]

I'd like to hear a "new" ScoLoHoFo... with NoJo...

ScoLoHoFoNoJo!

And I'm serious about that!

I'd add Louis Moholo to the group.

ScoLoHoFoNoJoMoholo!

[Rooster_Ties]

ScoLoHoFoNoJoMoholo!

oh.

[Christiern]

Judging by the label's recent output, I think BN has lost its relevance to jazz, but that happened before, when United Artists used it to cash in on the "soul jazz" flurry. BN came back through Bruce Lundval, but he now seems to have succumbed to whatever it is that makes people lose their integrity. BN now stands more for Bank Note than anything else and--given the sad state of the corporate-run record business--I really doubt if we will see another comeback. So, BN will probably continue to coast on past achievements.

[Joe M]

Judging by the label's recent output, I think BN has lost its relevance to jazz, but that happened before, when United Artists used it to cash in on the "soul jazz" flurry. BN came back through Bruce Lundval, but he now seems to have succumbed to whatever it is that makes people lose their integrity. BN now stands more for Bank Note than anything else and--given the sad state of the corporate-run record business--I really doubt if we will see another comeback. So, BN will probably continue to coast on past achievements.

Maybe, but I don't think Blue Note is under the obligation to lose money. Lovano, Moran, Osby, Wynton, Charlap, Andrew Hill, Robert Glasper, Pat Martino, Stefon Harris, Don Byron, Terence Blanchard. That's a pretty strong JAZZ lineup in today's climate. Does another "corporate" (I hesitate to use the word MAJOR) label come even close to a roster like that. Even if you throw out Wynton, since I know Chris doesn't like him, it's still a strong lineup.