A revelatory, thrilling and emotional journey behind the scenes of Blue Note Records, the pioneering label that gave voice to some of the finest jazz artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Every Blue Note Records artist is known for their unique sound because they are given the freedom to completely express themselves through their music. Some of the most amazing jazz musicians, like Lou Donaldson, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Ike Quebec, Bud Powell, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis were signed to Blue Note Records. The music was powerful, sometimes radical and reflected struggle and hope especially at the start of the civil rights movement. It was about being vulnerable, letting go of egos and self-judgment and allowing full expression, whatever that meant to the artist.
It all began when Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff founded Blue Note Records in 1939. Neither were jazz musicians and knew nothing about making records, but Alfred confessed to having fallen in love with jazz at a young age hearing his mother play the music. Unlike other labels, their main focus was not making hits or money. Alfred created a close personable relationship with the artists and they all became real friends. Even if they weren’t selling, he would keep them on the label as long as he could and encourage them to stay true to themselves.
In 1959 Rudy Van Gelder, the sound engineer responsible for making all of the music under the label sound incredible and cohesive opened a recording studio. The documentary has some of the most breathtaking studio sessions and behind-the-scenes look at how some of the most groundbreaking albums were created. It featured Art Blakey who was an exceptional drummer, he was known for what was then called hard bop; Clifford Brown, an amazing talented trumpet player and composer, who was known for hard bop, bebop, and jazz and Wayne Shorter, a superior tenor horn player who held three degrees in music and was considered a great writer, even though described as painfully shy. Alfred kept notes of all of the sessions and it was interesting to see that the first take actually began at 25.
I loved how this documentary was not just a history lesson in jazz, but it also beautifully presented current musicians who are strongly influenced by so many of the greats from that era, helping find their own voice in the jazz genre. One thing I appreciated was the mention of how jazz found its way into hip hop with famous groups like Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and others, sampling sounds and beats into their stories. Jazz is so important to so many music genres and continues to be one of the most influential in all music. Great documentary.
Opens June 14th at the Metrograph in New York City and on June 28th at the Laemmle Santa Monica in Los Angeles
