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58-463: Characteristic label artists include guitarist Keith Rowe , percussionist Günter Müller , guitarist / turntablist Otomo Yoshihide , homemade electronics group Voice Crack , sine wave improviser Sachiko M , concrete artist Jason Lescalleet, guitarist / laptop composer Fennesz , guitarist Burkhard Stangl and synthesizer player Thomas Lehn , as well as younger musicians such as clarinetist Kai Fagaschinski . In recent years, also artists connected to

116-437: A Caravaggio . Only Caravaggio can paint Caravaggio." Rowe said that after considering this idea from a musical perspective, "trying to play guitar like Jim Hall seemed quite wrong." For several years he contemplated how to reinvent his approach to the guitar, again finding inspiration in visual art, specifically American painter Jackson Pollock , who abandoned traditional painting methods to forge his style. "How could I abandon

174-554: A 2002 festival held in Tokyo was released as AMPLIFY02: Balance , and featured some of the label's flagship artists. The results of the 2004 event have been emerging as separate releases under the subsidiary label name ErstLive. In September 2005, Abbey put together a separate music festival in New York City , this time in collaboration with Tim Barnes' label Quakebasket and MoMA's The Artist Project, called ErstQuake. In 2008, an edition of

232-547: A casual jazz fan, according to Richard Cook; Blue Note gave him several copies of each of the many dozens of albums he designed, but Miles gave most to friends or sold them to second-hand record shops. A few mid-1950s album covers featured drawings by a then-unknown Andy Warhol . Some of his most celebrated designs adorned the sleeves of albums such as Midnight Blue , Out to Lunch! , Unity , Somethin' Else , Let Freedom Ring , Hub-Tones , No Room for Squares , Cool Struttin' , and The Sidewinder . Blue Note

290-536: A childhood friend. In 1941, Lion was drafted into the army for two years. Milt Gabler at the Commodore Music Store offered storage facilities and helped keep the catalog in print, with Wolff working for him. By late 1943, the label was back in business recording musicians and supplying records to the armed forces. Willing to record artists that most other labels would consider to be uncommercial, in December 1943

348-422: A collection of his remixes and interpretations of Blue Note music. Pete Rock , J Dilla , and DJ Spinna have likewise been involved in similar projects. In 2004, Burning Vision Entertainment created the video for Helicopter Girl's "Angel City", using the art from numerous Blue Note LP sleeves to startling effect. In 2008, hip-hop producer Questlove of The Roots compiled Droppin' Science: Greatest Samples from

406-566: A five-year period, including several at the beginning of his sojourn in Europe. Gordon also appeared on the debut album by Herbie Hancock - by the mid 1960s, all four of the younger members of the Miles Davis quintet (Hancock, Wayne Shorter , Ron Carter and Tony Williams ) were recording for the label, and Hancock and Shorter in particular produced a succession of superb albums in a mix of styles. Carter did not actually record under his own name until

464-484: A label called "Blue Note/ArtistShare". The Blue Note/ArtistShare partnership was forged by ArtistShare founder Brian Camelio , Bruce Lundvall , and Don Was . After Universal Music Group took over EMI, Blue Note Records is now operated under Capitol Music Group , while Decca Records took over UK distribution of Blue Note. Blue Note has seen a continuity in releases from older artists such as Shorter, Charles Lloyd , Louis Hayes , and Dr. Lonnie Smith . In 2019,

522-560: A live collaborative work The Room with film makers, Jarman award winner Luke Fowler , and Peter Todd as a part of the programme accompanying the major retrospective of the painter Mark Rothko. The Room featured films by Fowler and Todd and live guitar improvisation by Rowe with subsequent iterations being presented in France and Spain and the Netmage festival in Bologna Italy. The Room is also

580-467: A one-day session in a rented studio. The Blue Note label initially consisted of Lion and Max Margulis , a communist writer who funded the project. The label's first releases were traditional "hot" jazz and boogie woogie , and the label's first hit was a performance of " Summertime " by soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet , which Bechet had been unable to record for the established companies. Musicians were supplied with alcoholic refreshments, and recorded in

638-464: A radio broadcast of "the pious intonation of a male Turkish voice. AMM of course, had absolutely no idea what the material was. Later, it was complimented upon the judicious way that verses from The Koran had been introduced into the performance, and the respectful way they had been treated!" In reviewing World Turned Upside Down , critic Dan Hill writes, "Rowe has tuned his shortwave radio to some dramatically exotic gameshow and human voices spatter

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696-457: A result, Lion was under pressure by independent distributors to come up with similar successes, with the result that many Blue Note albums of this era start with a catchy tune intended for heavy airplay in the United States. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters were located in New York City , at West 61st Street, and at 47 W 63rd Street. Although many of

754-401: A style similar to lowercase music . Good Morning Good Night by Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura, and Otomo Yoshihide, for example, is 100 minutes of "vertical music" marked by piercing sine waves, bursts of static, feedback loops, and quiet vinyl crackle, demanding even for veteran listeners to avant-garde music. The label's aesthetic has yet to find an agreed-upon name, though many categorize

812-469: A tribute to Blue Note with samples from earlier records on the label. Blue Note has pursued an active reissue program since the mid-1980s revival. and Michael Cuscuna has worked as freelance advisor and reissue producer. Some of the original Blue Note's output has appeared in CD box sets issued by Mosaic Records (also involving Cuscuna). Blue Note Records became the flagship jazz label for Capitol Records , and

870-401: A trio in a Stockholm club, and three studio albums (including The Empty Foxhole , with his then ten-year-old son Denardo Coleman on drums). Pianist Cecil Taylor recorded a brace of albums for Blue Note, as did trombonist Grachan Moncur III , and saxophonist Sam Rivers , drummer Tony Williams, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and organist Larry Young also recorded albums which diverged from

928-844: Is Keith Rowe's tabletop guitar, which he uses to create textured soundscapes by incorporating household objects and sampled radio transmissions through the instrument's pickups. Another instance includes trumpeters Matt Davis and Axel Dörner , who sometimes play their instruments by blowing through the valves rather than the mouthpiece. Releases like guitarist Martin Siewert and drummer Martin Brandlmayr 's Too Beautiful to Burn or laptop artist Christof Kurzmann and guitarist Burkhard Stangl 's Schnee maintain some elements of melody and accessibility, resembling other alternative genres such as post-rock or ambient music . Most Erstwhile albums however tend to showcase slow, quiet, unmoving textures of sound in

986-430: Is seen as a godfather of EAI (electroacoustic improvisation), with many of his recordings having been released by Erstwhile . Rowe began his career playing jazz in the early 1960s with Mike Westbrook and Lou Gare . His early influences were guitarists Wes Montgomery , Charlie Christian , and Barney Kessel . But he grew tired of what he considered the genre's limitations. He began experimenting. An important step

1044-463: The Wandelweiser group started releasing albums on the label, such as American composer Michael Pisaro . The first few Erstwhile releases were something of a mixed set in terms of the music, ranging from the melancholy avant-blues of Loren Connors to the rather traditional free jazz of VHF. With the release of Tom and Gerry , however ― a double-disc duet between Lehn and drummer Gerry Hemingway ―

1102-528: The blue notes of jazz and the blues . Originally dedicated to recording traditional jazz and small group swing, the label began to switch its attention to modern jazz around 1947. From there, Blue Note grew to become one of the most prolific, influential and respected jazz labels of the mid-20th century, noted for its role in facilitating the development of hard bop , post-bop and avant-garde jazz , as well as for its iconic modernist art direction. Historically, Blue Note has principally been associated with

1160-439: The " hard bop " style of jazz (mixing bebop with other forms of music including soul , blues, rhythm and blues and gospel ), but also recorded essential albums in the avant-garde and free styles of jazz. Horace Silver , Jimmy Smith , Freddie Hubbard , Lee Morgan , Art Blakey , Grant Green , Hank Mobley , Wayne Shorter , Bobby Hutcherson , and Jackie McLean were among the label's leading artists. During its heyday,

1218-461: The "hard bop" style usually associated with the label. Saxophonist Jackie McLean, a stalwart of the label's hard bop output since the late 1950s, also crossed over into the avant-garde in the early 1960s, whose notable avant-garde albums included One Step Beyond , Destination Out and on (as a side man) trombonist Grachan Moncur III's "Evolution". Though these avant-garde records did not sell as well as some other Blue Note releases, Lion thought it

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1276-486: The 1950s and 1960s, the photography and graphic art of Reid Miles created a series of iconic album covers, often incorporating session photos by Francis Wolff , which added to Blue Note's artistic reputation. Lion first heard jazz as a young boy in Berlin . He settled in New York City in 1937, and shortly after the first From Spirituals to Swing concert, recorded pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis in 1939 during

1334-782: The 1960s, the company headquarters were moved to 1776 Broadway. In 1979, EMI purchased United Artists Records , which had absorbed Liberty Records in 1971, and phased out the Blue Note label, which lay dormant until 1985, when it was relaunched as part of EMI Manhattan Records , both for re-issues and new recordings for which Bruce Lundvall was appointed. Some artists previously associated with Blue Note, such as McCoy Tyner , made new recordings, while younger musicians such as Bennie Wallace , Joe Lovano , John Scofield , Greg Osby , Jason Moran and arranger–composer Bob Belden have established notable reputations through their Blue Note albums. The label has also found great commercial success with

1392-598: The Amplify Festival called AMPLIFY:light was held in Tokyo . In 2011 and 2013, the festival again took place in New York. Keith Rowe Keith Rowe (born 16 March 1940 in Plymouth , England) is an English free improvisation tabletop guitarist and painter. Rowe is a founding member of both AMM in the mid-1960s and M.I.M.E.O. Having trained as a visual artist, his paintings have appeared on most of his albums. He

1450-745: The Blue Note Label Group, was at the time reporting directly to Eric Nicoli, then Chief Executive Officer of EMI Group. In 2008, the Blue Note 7 , a jazz septet , was formed in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic , which was released in 2009 on Blue Note Records/ EMI , and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January until April 2009. The group consists of Peter Bernstein (guitar), Bill Charlap (piano), Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Lewis Nash (drums), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Peter Washington (bass), and Steve Wilson (alto saxophone, flute). The group plays

1508-593: The Underworlds . It was named one of the "Best Jazz Albums of 2020" by The New York Times , and was followed by In the Spirit of Ntu in 2022, and uNomkhubulwane in 2024. There has been much sampling of classic Blue Note tracks by both hip hop artists and for mashing projects. In 1993, the group Us3 designed the entirety of its debut album upon samples from classic Blue Note records. In 2003, hip-hop producer Madlib released Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note ,

1566-445: The acts on Blue Note were recording jazz for a wide audience, the label also documented some of the emerging avant-garde and free jazz players. Andrew Hill , a highly individual pianist, made many albums for the label, one featuring multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy . Dolphy's Out to Lunch! (featuring a celebrated cover by Reid Miles ) is perhaps his best-known album. Saxophonist Ornette Coleman released two albums recorded with

1624-619: The adult market segment. The labels newly under the Blue Note umbrella are Angel Records , EMI Classics and Virgin Classics (classical music), Narada Productions (contemporary jazz and world-influenced music, including exclusively licensed sub-label Real World Records ), Back Porch Records (folk and Americana), Higher Octave Records (smooth jazz and New-age music ), and Mosaic Records (devoted exclusively to reissuing jazz recordings in limited-edition boxed sets). As of June 2007, Bruce Lundvall, founder of Manhattan Records , as President/CEO of

1682-465: The amplifier). Percussionist Eddie Prévost of AMM said Rowe finds radio broadcasts which seem to blend ideally with, or offer startling commentary on, the music. (Prévost, 18). On AMMMusic , towards the end of the cacophonous "Ailantus Glandolusa", a speaker announces via radio that "We cannot preserve the normal music." Prevost writes that during an AMM performance in Istanbul , Rowe located and integrated

1740-453: The early hours of the morning after their evening's work in clubs and bars had finished. The label soon became known for treating musicians uncommonly well—setting up recording sessions at congenial times, and allowing the artists to be involved in all aspects of the record's production. Francis Wolff, a professional photographer, emigrated to the US at the end of 1939 and soon joined forces with Lion,

1798-429: The imprint announced the launch of a vinyl reissue series of classic titles, with releases selected and produced by Grammy -nominated producer and jazz expert Joe Harley. The series, named the "Tone Poet series" in honor of Harley, reissues several titles each year from the Blue Note catalogue. In 2020, Blue Note released the debut of South African artist Nduduzo Makhathini , called Modes of Communication: Letters from

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1856-682: The label at this time. Lion recorded several Monk sessions before he began to release the resulting sides. Monk's recordings for Blue Note between 1947 and 1952 did not sell well for some years, but have since come to be regarded as the most important of his career. Other bebop or modernist musicians who recorded for Blue Note during the late 1940s and early 1950s were pianist Tadd Dameron , trumpeters Fats Navarro and Howard McGhee , saxophonist James Moody and pianist Bud Powell . The sessions by Powell are commonly ranked among his best. J. J. Johnson and trumpeter Miles Davis both recorded several sessions for Blue Note between 1952 and 1954, but by then

1914-408: The label in 1956 and 1957 and Bud Powell briefly returned. John Coltrane 's Blue Train , and Cannonball Adderley 's Somethin' Else (featuring Miles Davis in one of his last supporting roles) were guest appearances on the label. Blue Note was by then recording a mixture of established acts (Rollins, Adderley) and artists who in some cases had recorded before, but often produced performances for

1972-457: The label initiated more sessions with artists such as pianist Art Hodes , trumpeter Sidney De Paris , clarinetist Edmond Hall , and Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson , who was returning to a high degree of musical activity after having largely recovered from a stroke suffered in 1940. Towards the end of the Second World War , saxophonist Ike Quebec was among those who recorded for

2030-562: The label which by far exceeded earlier recordings in quality ( Blue Train is often considered to be the first significant recording by Coltrane as a leader). Horace Silver and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers continued to release a series of artistically and commercially successful recordings. The early 1960s saw Dexter Gordon join the label. Gordon was a saxophonist from the bebop era who had spent several years in prison for narcotic offences, and he made several albums for Blue Note over

2088-401: The label's focus notably shifted. It was the first album containing electroacoustic improvisation techniques which Erstwhile has become known for, as well as the first to feature meticulous post-production. The fifth Erstwhile release, World Turned Upside Down , featured a trio of guitarists Keith Rowe, Taku Sugimoto and percussionist Günter Müller. Rowe and Müller would both become fixtures of

2146-491: The label's revival in the 1980s, but played double bass on many other musicians' sessions. Many of these also included Freddie Hubbard , a trumpeter who also recorded for the label as a leader. One of the features of the label during this period was a "family" of musicians (Hubbard, Hancock, Carter, Grant Green, Joe Henderson , Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell , Hank Mobley and many others) who would record as sidemen on each other's albums without necessarily being part of

2204-634: The label, and are a generation older than many of their younger collaborators. The album's abstract, sparse sound resembles live releases by AMM and MIMEO , Rowe's previous European improvisation groups. Subsequent Erstwhile releases have largely focused on slow-moving, often quiet compositions played using non-standard computers and electronics (such as Sachiko M 's "empty sampler" or Toshimaru Nakamura 's "no-input mixing board"). These electronics often get paired with acoustic instruments, which are then played with amplification and extended techniques . The most prominent example of this modified instrumentation

2262-484: The label. Quebec would act as a talent scout for the label until his death in 1963. Although stylistically belonging to a previous generation, he could appreciate the new bebop style of jazz, the creation of which is usually attributed to Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker . In 1947, pianist Thelonious Monk recorded his first sessions as a leader for the label, which were also the Blue Note debut of drummer Art Blakey , who also recorded his first session as leader for

2320-735: The leader of what became the Modern Jazz Quartet ) and the Jazz Messengers (originally organised as a cooperative, but soon to become Art Blakey's group) recorded for Blue Note. The Milt Jackson Quartet session was a one-off, but Blakey's various groups recorded for the label extensively, if intermittently, for the next decade. Rudy Van Gelder recorded most Blue Note releases from 1953, after Lion and Van Gelder's mutual friend, saxophonist and composer Gil Melle , introduced them. A difference between Blue Note and other independent labels (for example Prestige Records , who also employed Van Gelder)

2378-406: The leader's working group . The early 1960s also saw three Blue Note recordings by pianist/composer Freddie Redd , one of which, The Connection , used music written for the play by Jack Gelber and its film version. In 1963, Lee Morgan scored a significant hit with the title track of The Sidewinder album, and Horace Silver did the same the following year with Song for My Father . As

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2436-422: The mix, though at such low volume, they're unintelligible and abstracted. Rowe never overplays this device, a clear temptation with such a seductive technology – the awesome possibility of sonically reaching out across a world of voices requires experienced hands to avoid simple but ultimately short-term pleasure. This he does masterfully, mixing in random operatics and chance encounters with talk show hosts to anchor

2494-424: The music as electroacoustic improvisation , or "EAI." Some critics argue that Erstwhile and the term EAI have become almost synonymous, with NYC musician Jeremiah Cymerman regarding them as "The Blue Note of lowercase music." "Laminal music," "granular music," "reductionism," "the new London silence," " Onkyokei ," "Berlin minimalism," are additional terms which have been used to define the label. The music packaging

2552-482: The music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and Renee Rosnes . Following the acquisition of EMI by Universal, Don Was became President of Blue Note in January 2012, after an appointment as CEO a few months earlier, in succession to Bruce Lundvall. Lundvall, who stood down in 2010, became Chairman Emeritus In May 2013, Blue Note Records partnered with ArtistShare to form

2610-461: The musicians who had created bebop were starting to explore other styles. The recording of musicians performing in an earlier jazz idiom, such as Sidney Bechet and clarinettist George Lewis , continued into the 1950s. In 1951, Blue Note issued their first vinyl 10" releases. The label was soon recording emerging talent such as Horace Silver (who would stay with Blue Note for a quarter of a century) and Clifford Brown . Meanwhile, Milt Jackson (as

2668-616: The newer format. Lion contemplated selling out to Atlantic at this time, an option which was not acted upon. A musician who was to become one of the label's best sellers was discovered. Jimmy Smith , the Hammond organist was signed in 1956, and performed on the label's first 12" LP album of new recordings. The mid-to-late 1950s saw debut recordings for Blue Note by (among others) Hank Mobley , Lee Morgan , Herbie Nichols , Sonny Clark , Kenny Dorham , Kenny Burrell , Jackie McLean , Donald Byrd and Lou Donaldson . Sonny Rollins recorded for

2726-466: The past, Erstwhile is now doing so. Like them, it has its own distinctive roster of players, its own sound and a distinctive visual style ... No need to see the label to know it’s on Erstwhile." Currently, most of the label's designs are done by producer Yuko Zama. Unusually, Erstwhile's releases have been issued without UPCs . Abbey has also organized the Amplify Festival, an annual series of live free improvisation concerts. A box set of recordings from

2784-427: The sound in humanity, amidst the abstraction." Rowe has worked with Oren Ambarchi , Burkhard Beins , Cornelius Cardew , Christian Fennesz , Kurt Liedwart , Jeffrey Morgan , Toshimaru Nakamura , Evan Parker , Michael Pisaro , Peter Rehberg , Sachiko M , Howard Skempton , Taku Sugimoto , David Sylvian , John Tilbury , Christian Wolff , and Otomo Yoshihide . In 2008 at Tate Modern, London, Rowe performed

2842-590: The technique? Lay the guitar flat!" Rowe developed prepared guitar techniques: placing the guitar flat on a table and manipulating the strings, body, and pick-ups in unorthodox ways. He has used needles, electric motors, violin bows, iron bars, a library card, rubber eraser, springs, hand-held electric fans, alligator clips, and common office supplies in playing the guitar. Rowe sometimes incorporates live radio broadcasts into his performances, including shortwave radio and number stations (the guitar's pick-ups will also pick up radio signals, and broadcast them through

2900-410: The title of a work by Rowe issued on CD in 2007 followed by The Room Extended in 2016 on a four CD set both from erstwhile records. Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group . Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis , it derived its name from

2958-419: The vocalist Norah Jones , and released new albums by established artists on the fringes of jazz such as Van Morrison , Al Green , Anita Baker and newcomer Amos Lee , sometimes referred to as the "male Norah Jones". Two of the leading trumpeters of the 1980s Jazz Resurgence, Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard signed with the label in 2003. Hip-hop producer Madlib recorded Shades of Blue in 2003 as

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3016-426: Was a New Year's resolution to stop tuning his guitar—much to Westbrook's displeasure. He began playing free jazz and free improvisation , abandoning conventional guitar technique. He was featured in 'Crossing Bridges', a 1985 music programme based around jazz guitar improvisation, and broadcast by Channel 4 His change was partially inspired by a teacher in a painting class who told him, "Rowe, you cannot paint

3074-455: Was acquired by Liberty Records in 1965 and Lion, who had difficulties working within a larger organization, retired in 1967. Reid Miles' association with the label ended around this time. For a few years most albums were produced by Wolff or pianist Duke Pearson , who had succeeded Ike Quebec in A&;R in 1963 after he died, but Wolff died in 1971 and Pearson left in the same year. At the end of

3132-456: Was distinguished by its tinted black and white photographs, creative use of sans-serif typefaces, and restricted color palette (often black and white with a single color), and frequent use of solid rectangular bands of color or white, influenced by the Bauhaus school of design. Though Miles' work is closely associated with Blue Note and has earned iconic status and frequent homage, Miles was only

3190-452: Was important to document new developments in jazz. In 1956, Blue Note employed Reid Miles , an artist who worked for Esquire magazine. The cover art produced by Miles, often featuring Wolff's photographs of musicians in the studio, was as influential in the world of graphic design as the music within would be in the world of jazz. Under Miles, Blue Note was known for their striking and unusual album cover designs. Miles' graphical design

3248-427: Was that musicians were paid for rehearsal time prior to the recording session: this helped ensure a better end result on the record. Producer Bob Porter of Prestige Records once said that "The difference between Blue Note and Prestige is two days' rehearsal." When the recording industry switched to 12" LP in the mid-1950s, Blue Note was in difficulties. Their catalog on the now outmoded 10" LP now had to be recreated on

3306-542: Was the parent label for the Capitol Jazz, Pacific Jazz , Roulette and other labels within Capitol's holdings which had possessed a jazz line. The "RVG series", Rudy Van Gelder remastering his own recordings from decades earlier began around 1998. In 2006, EMI expanded Blue Note to create The Blue Note Label Group by moving its Narada group of labels to New York to join with Blue Note, centralizing EMI's approach to music for

3364-436: Was the responsibility of designer Friederike Paetzold, whose works often entirely forgo details like artist's names, instrumentation and album titles. Album covers tend to be characterized by stark, minimalist artwork, often painted by guitarist Keith Rowe, or Paetzold's own photography. Critic John Eyles writes, "Just as such labels as Blue Note , ECM , and Incus have captured and defined the zeitgeist at various points in

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