Don Was: Moving Blue Note forward, one day at a time.

[Hardbopjazz]

Don Was: Moving Blue Note Forward One Day at a Time
Posted 2/17/2015

Bassist/producer Don Was became the president of Blue Note Records three years ago. During his stint at the helm, he has expanded the label’s roster, adding veterans like Annie Lennox and Rosanne Cash while nurturing newer voices like vocalists Gregory Porter and José James. Recently, Was helped Blue Note partner with Sonos, makers of hi-fidelity wireless audio equipment, to launch the Blue Note Play:1, a limited-edition wireless speaker that comes pre-loaded with Blue Note playlists and a curated Blue Note radio station.

Amid his busy schedule of business meetings and all-star rehearsals, Was spoke with DownBeat by phone.

DownBeat: The Blue Note Records 75th anniversary celebration is almost over. How has the experience been?

Don Was: These kind of things, I’m as wary of them as I am proud of them, particularly in the case of Blue Note. The whole legacy of the company is moving forward and constantly pushing the threshold of jazz and music in general. If you look back, that’s really what you discover, but looking back, you take your eyes off the future. It’s like riding on the freeway. Keep your eyes on the road. Don’t be texting or looking behind you too much. I feel we survived it well. On the plus side, it helped draw attention to both our legacy and the current roster of artists. It gave us a chance to do some cool stuff, from the Sonos [Play:1] speaker to going back to do all the vinyl reissues. We’re drawing up the second 100 releases now.

The full article can be read at the below link.

http://downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=2630

[BFrank]

Interesting. THANKS!

[Leeway]

I wonder what the real reason was that Charles Lloyd left ECM for Blue Note?

[CJ Shearn]

Lloyd on Blue Note (again) looking forward to that. I only have and have heard "Sangam" and "Rabo de Nube" as far as ECM discs from him but they are excellent. Was always interrested in that "Athens Concert" Maybe a possible reason Lloyd left ECM is because maybe Blue Note/ECM are under the Universal umbrella now?

Edited March 1, 2015 by CJ Shearn