Blue Note - Beefing Up The Collection

[Jazzjet]

I've recently started to improve my collection of Blue Note titles, mainly due to the low prices at Amazon UK. I've already got most of what you might call the classic Blue Note titles ( Midnight Blue, Soul Station, Out To Lunch, Song For My Father and many, many others ) plus numerous compilations. However, I'm wondering if there are some lesser known titles that are worth investigating that might have slipped through the net? I would appreciate suggestions.

I started this 'project' as a result of someone recommending the indispensable Blue Note titles ( see below ) and realising how many I didn't already have - despite many years of collecting.

Cannonball Adderley - Alto Sax - Somethin' Else '58

Tina Brooks - Tenor Sax - True Blue '60

Art Blakey - Drums - Night in Tunisia '59

Donald Byrd - Trumpet - Byrd in Flight '60

Eric Dolphy - Reed Instruments - Out to Lunch - '64

Lou Donaldson - Tenor Sax - Artist Selects '58-'67

Kenny Dorham - Trumpet - Trompetta Toccata '64

Dexter Gordon - Tenor Sax - Doin' Alright '61

Grant Green - Guitar - Idle Moments '63

Herbie Hancock - Piano - Maiden Voyage '65

Joe Henderson - Tenor Sax - Page One '63

Andrew Hill - Piano - Black Fire '63, Point of Departure '64

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet - Open Sesame '60

Bobby Hutcherson - Vibes - Components '65

J.J. Johnson - Trombone - The Eminent J.J. Johnson Vol 1 '53

Jackie McLean - Alto Sax - New Soil '59

Blue Mitchell - Trumpet - The Thing to Do '64

Hank Mobley - Tenor Sax - Soul Station '60

Lee Morgan - Trumpet - Search for the New Land '64

Sam Rivers - Tenor Sax - Fuchsia Swing Song '64

Wayne Shorter - Tenor Sax - Speak No Evil '64

Horace Silver - Piano - Song for My Father '64

Jimmy Smith - Organ - Open House/Plain Talk '60

Stanley Turrentine - Tenor Sax - Never Let Me Go '63

McCoy Tyner - Piano - The Real McCoy '67

Larry Young - Organ - Unity '65

[sjarrell]

I don't know if I'd call all of those indispensable, but Soul Station (and Mobe's Roll Call, Workout/Another Workout) certainly are. True Blue and Open Sesame? Hell yes. I might pick a different Morgan (Lee-Way?), would recommend McLean's Let Freedom Ring over New Soil, add Ike Quebec's Blue and Sentimental, change the Byrd to a Pepper Adams collaboration (pick one, you can't go wrong), throw in some Big John Patton (Oh Baby! or Along Came John)... I could go on all day, but no time.

Una Mas, not Toccata. Comin' Your Way, not Never Let Me Go (or Up at Minton's!). But Never Let Me Go is swell too. Maybe get 'em all?

Edited June 12, 2008 by sjarrell

[Hot Ptah]

I would suggest that the Adderley, Dolphy, Hancock, both Hills, Hubbard, Tyner and Young are really excellent albums.

[RDK]

It's unclear if what you posted are those titles you already have or are considering. You could certainly dig a bit deeper into the BN catalogs of those artists (I really love Lee Morgan's "Leeway" and Hutcherson's "Oblique") but also check out "Basra" (if you can find it), any of the available Three Sounds CDs, and good lord don't forget the Thelonious Monk!

[B. Clugston]

The Sidewinder!

[Jazzjet]

It's unclear if what you posted are those titles you already have or are considering. You could certainly dig a bit deeper into the BN catalogs of those artists (I really love Lee Morgan's "Leeway" and Hutcherson's "Oblique") but also check out "Basra" (if you can find it), any of the available Three Sounds CDs, and good lord don't forget the Thelonious Monk!

I've got most of the listed titles and considering the rest. Not sure whether to go for the Sam Rivers or the JJ Johnson. What I'm really looking for, however, are some of the less familiar titles that wouldn't necessarily appear in many 'best of' lists.

[AndrewHill]

If you like the Hills, the Rivers and the Henderson, you'll eventually want to get them all.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I've got most of the listed titles and considering the rest. Not sure whether to go for the Sam Rivers or the JJ Johnson. What I'm really looking for, however, are some of the less familiar titles that wouldn't necessarily appear in many 'best of' lists.

Rivers of course ... apples and oranges there.

"FSS" was one of those dates that for me came well after hearing all the hard bop stuff. It took me a few turns to get into it but once I did it was more like Ornette Coleman time from just how much I got out of listening to it. Probably played it every other day for a whole summer after getting the Mosaic box long ago.

[paul secor]

Lots of great Blakey on Blue Note - the Birdlands, Moanin', Like Someone in Love, Roots and Herbs, Free for All, Bohemias, Jazz Corner of the World

Ornette - Golden Circles - Looks like they might not be your thing, but who knows? Great music.

Dexter - Our Man in Paris, Go

Sonny Clark - Sonny's Crib, Cool Struttin'

Larry Young - Into Somethin'

Johnny Griffin - Intoducing

Horace Silver - too many to list

Bud Powell - Vols. 1&2 to start - eventually all 5

Any BN Ike Quebec you can lay your hands on

Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures, Conquistador

Don Cherry - Symphony for Improvisors

Clifford Jordan/John Gilmore - Blowin' In from Chicago

Baby Face Willette - Face To Face

Lee Morgan - too many to list

And that's just for starters. Looks like you've got a lot of discovering and a lot of great listening ahead of you.

edit - Hope you let us know how your listening is going, and that you join the discussion here.

Edited June 12, 2008 by paul secor

[Niko]

edit - Hope you let us know how your listening is going, and that you join the discussion here.

and while you're at it, don't forget all the great riverside and prestige recordings that are currently disappearing from the market...

[Jazzjet]

And that's just for starters. Looks like you've got a lot of discovering and a lot of great listening ahead of you.

edit - Hope you let us know how your listening is going, and that you join the discussion here.

[jazzbo]

Be sure to at least seriously consider the Monks, and some of the Hodes and Bechet dates. They're essential Blue Notes.

[Late]

... the Hodes and Bechet dates. They're essential Blue Notes.

Very true.

Everyone should have at least one Blue Note title in their collection that was recorded before, say, 1947. Hodes, Bechet, James P., Earl Hines recorded (just) two great tracks for Blue Note, Edmond Hall, Bennie Morton, Sidney de Paris, the list goes on. I'd love to see the Japanese reissue market re-explore (meaning re-reissue) the earlier Blue Notes.

[Nate Dorward]

The Thad Jones dates The Magnificent... & Detroit/New York Junction are very fine, a little underrated too.

Sonny Rollins, the Vanguard trio sessions

& Don Cherry's Complete Communion is a classic of 1960s free jazz.

There are probably a zillion Art Blakey albums you could get, but make sure not to miss the two with Clifford Brown at Birdland & the 1960s edition on Free For All & Mosaic.

In terms of Jackie McLean, just about anything for the label. I like his more avantgarde-leaning stuff for the label: Destination Out!, Let Freedom Ring, Action, Demon's Dance. In fact the only one I'd recommend avoiding until you've got some of the others is the odd encounter with Ornette Coleman (simply because it's somewhat disappointing that Coleman plays only trumpet on it).

Dexter Gordon--the one I like most is the encounter with late-period Bud Powell on Our Man in Paris. Some people are keen on the ones with Sonny Clark (Go and A Swinging Affair) but they seem just OK to me.

[Nate Dorward]

& I'd add that while the music on Jimmy Smith's Open House/Plain Talk is great, it's a very poor recording with lots of distortion. If you can get beyond that it's excellent. Maybe The Sermon instead if you're looking for Smith. Penguin Guide recommends the Smalls Paradise set but frankly I mostly hate it.

& Stanley Turrentine's Hustling and That's Where It's At are sublime. I didn't think Never Let Me Go was up to their calibre, though it's perfectly fine.

[Dave James]

Here are a couple of questions I'd be asking myself before I jumped into this. Is there a genre of jazz you particularly enjoy? If so, you might be better served by going after music that, for you, represents familiar territory. How experimental a listener are you? There's a fair amount of distance between what Lon (jazzbo) is recommending and someone like Dolphy or Larry Young and for sure, Cecil and Don Cherry. If you're not familiar with some of the more outside players, I'd recommend steering clear of them for awhile. Let the bop and post-bop lead you to these guys, but only when you're ready. There is no value in buying something that you won't listen to just for the sake of having a particular label better represented in your collection.

My apologies if I'm underestimating your listening experience, but when someone asks for advice, especially when it comes to the classic Blue Note repertoire, I tend to assume that the person who's asking may not be as immersed in jazz as a lot of us are on this board.

BTW, and for what it's worth, I'd add Cannonball's "Something Else" to your list. It's prime Adderley, but at it's heart, it's really Miles as much as anything else with a pronounced "Kind of Blue" feel to it even though the pianist (Hank Jones) the bass (Sam Jones) and the drummer (Art Blakey) replace Coltrane, Kelly/Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb.

Up over and out.

[Teasing the Korean]

...My apologies if I'm underestimating your listening experience, but when someone asks for advice, especially when it comes to the classic Blue Note repertoire, I tend to assume that the person who's asking may not be as immersed in jazz as a lot of us are on this board...

I hear what you're saying, but I don't feel this is always the case. Some of us - myself included - tend to buy interesting things that we stumble upon by chance, rather than thinking, "I have to buy this Blue Note title this week and this other one next week." Also, some of us are more knowledgeable about or immersed in certain subgenres of jazz. I have a room full of LPs, and an entire wall of them is either jazz or jazz related. However, my tastes and approach to buying are somewhat idiosyncratic, and I know there are certain "essential" missing albums in my collection. If I stumble upon them, I may pick them up, but I'm not necessarily looking for them.

[clifford_thornton]

All I can add is "welcome" and yes, do stick around and give us your impressions of the music.

If you're just getting started with this music but are committed and interested, I don't think any of the pre-1968 BN titles would do you wrong.

[JohnS]

Collecting Blue Notes is like an infection that doesn't go away. Before you know it you'll be a completist.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

There are really four Blue Notes.

Pre-bop - covering recordings made before about 1947, focusing on hot music and small group swing.

Bop, 1947-1953 or so, at the insistence of Babs Gonzales

Hard Bop - from the early Silver/Blakey collaborations, BN was the market leader in this vein.

Soul Jazz - from about 1960, Jimmy Smith eased BN into Soul Jazz.

It's important to realise that Blue Note wasn't anything special in relation to hot/swing recordings, though there are masterpieces in there. And that's true of Bop, as well - Savoy was the market leader for Bop in the late forties. And Prestige the market leader for Soul Jazz.

So, pick your music style but know that Blue Note was only reliably the best at Hard Bop.

MG

[Jazzjet]

I just wanted to say thanks for the various replies so far. I've already picked up some useful recommendations.

In response to Dave James, I would say I am pretty immersed in jazz already. I have 9000 or so CDs and LPs, the vast majority jazz. In terms of Blue Note I have pretty much all of the 'usual suspects' and many more besides. However, there is only so much you can listen to ( let alone afford ) and I'm conscious that I'm probably missing out on some of the less well known titles. For example, Dexter Gordon's 'Doin' Alright' is a firm favourite of mine, although 'Go' and 'Our Man In Paris' are usually the ones at the top of the list. And, as someone commented, there are other labels ( eg Riverside and Prestige ) with some great albums. However, Blue Note has always stood out for me, both in terms of sheer consistency and recording quality over a vast output.

As far as tastes are concerned, I'm not a big fan of free jazz in general, although the occasional artist/title can be rewarding. Other than that, I'm pretty open to anything back to including the first BN titles.

[montg]

I've been spinning Jimmy Smith, Live at the Baby Grand (Vol1) almost daily for the last couple of weeks. I usually don't hear that one singled out from among Smith's vast catalog, but it absolutely smokes and it's one of my favorites.

[Jazzjet]

Just a couple of questions arising from my Blue Note 'quest':

Any opinions on Ready for Freddie by Freddie Hubbard?

My knowledge of Bobby Hutcherson is a bit thin. Can anyone recommend any of his albums, on Blue Note or elsewhere? ( I currently have San Francisco, Dialogue and Total Eclipse plus a Blue Note Best Of )

Thanks

[AndrewHill]

Ready for Freddie is a strong date, although its been awhile since I've listened to it.

Concerning Hutch's Blue Notes. I'd say you'll eventually want to get them all up to 1969, and depending on your tastes perhaps the dates after 1970.

I'd buy Components first because the date is split between a strong post-bop set and a more adventurous set featuring all Joe Chambers' compositions. The Chambers side is a personal favorite. Great, great stuff.

After that:

Oblique

the Kicker

Patterns (if you can find it)

Medina/Spiral (if you can find it)

I see you have Total Eclipse-nice date and quite rare and OOP nowadays.

Edited June 14, 2008 by Holy Ghost

[porcy62]

Be sure to at least seriously consider the Monks, and some of the Hodes and Bechet dates. They're essential Blue Notes.

Hell! Yes! I was wondering how many posts would we need to pop up Thelonious!

Now what about Fats Navarro and Dameron?