Blue Note Classic Series

Until the emergence of Larry Young, Blue Note’s Hammond B3 organ tradition was firmly rooted in Soul Jazz, having been established by B3 trailblazer... 

On 1964’s Into Somethin’—his first album for Blue Note—Larry Young made it abundantly clear that he had his own unique approach to... 

Following his 1968 Blue Note debut On Broadway, Hammond B3 organist Reuben Wilson returned to Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in March 1969 to... 

For his third Blue Note album Blue Mode (1969), organist Reuben Wilson kept it right in the pocket and laid down one of the funkiest soul... 

One of the most distinctive voices in modern jazz, Cassandra Wilson made her artistic breakthrough with her visionary 1993... 

Drummer Tony Williams had a long, fruitful relationship with Blue Note Records starting in the 1960s when he appeared on numerous post-bop... 

The precocious and prodigious drummer and composer Tony Williams had already participated in numerous landmark Blue Note recordings including... 

The deeply soulful Louisiana-born tenor saxophonist Don Wilkerson made his Blue Note debut in 1962 with Preach Brother!, an under-recognized soul... 

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Alfred Lion’s inspired idea to pair tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine with The Three Sounds—the trio featuring... 

The great tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine imbued every single note he played with a depth of feeling and soulfulness that still... 

The intrepid free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor produced some of his best work for Blue Note Records, including his explosive 1966 label... 

Art Taylor was one of the greatest drummers in modern jazz who propelled the bands of Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Donald... 

One of the funkiest and most creative organists of all time, Dr. Lonnie Smith was first brought into the Blue Note fold by alto saxophonist Lou... 

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It’s a testament to Jimmy Smith’s volcanic creativity that the Hammond B3 organ firebrand recorded not one but two soul jazz classics—Midnight... 

The Incredible Jimmy Smith was a self-taught keyboard virtuoso who gave up the piano in 1954 in favor of the Hammond B3 organ, setting up... 

Jimmy Smith was a self-taught pianist who abandoned the instrument in 1954 in favour of the Hammond B3 organ, renting a... 

“We’d like for you all to help us get in the groove, let your hair down, and come on and get in the music with us,” says... 

A decade into his recording career, pianist Horace Silver made the album that would endure as the crown jewel of a catalog that... 

The Horace Silver Quintet of 1959 was a hard bop juggernaut featuring the great pianist and composer with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, saxophonist... 

1964 was one of the most momentous years in the musical life of Wayne Shorter. Early in the year the saxophonist was still a member of... 

1964 was a pivotal year in the musical life of Wayne Shorter. Early in the year the saxophonist was still a member of Art Blakey & The... 

Wayne Shorter had already set a high bar over the course of his first several Blue Note albums, which included all-time jazz classics including... 

Sonny Rollins first appeared on a Blue Note recording session in 1949 as part of Bud Powell’s Modernists during a period when the saxophonist... 

A saxophonist of striking originality, Sam Rivers was born in Oklahoma and exposed to music from an early age by his pianist mother and... 

Jamaican-born trumpeter Dizzy Reece was a fixture of the London jazz scene before moving to New York City in 1959 where he recorded his... 

There may not be a more apropos album title in all of recorded music than tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec’s 1961 classic Heavy Soul. The session... 

In the late 1940s, Blue Note founder Alfred Lion became enthralled with the modern sounds of bebop and began recording several of the new... 

The amazing bebop piano genius Bud Powell made his most enduring recordings as a leader for Blue Note and was a catalyst for moving... 

Pianist Duke Pearson recorded his Christmas album I in 1969 with Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums, as well as percussionist Airto... 

Pianist Horace Parlan is perhaps best known for his work with Charles Mingus on the bassist’s seminal 1959 albums Mingus Ah... 

The prodigiously talented trumpeter Theodore “Fats” Navarro was a bebop innovator whose career was cut tragically short... 

In May 1968 when he entered Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to record his album ¡Caramba!, trumpeter Lee Morgan was still... 

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Two months after recording what would become his hit record The Sidewinder, trumpeter Lee Morgan returned to Van Gelder Studio in... 

Thelonious Monk was a little-known figure on the New York City bebop scene when Blue Note founder Alfred Lion discovered and... 

Though he first appeared on Herbie Hancock’s 1963 album My Point of View, trombonist Grachan Moncur III’s first true Blue Note introduction... 

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was at the peak of his powers throughout the early 1960s as he produced a staggering run of hard bop classics including... 

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already led nine dates for Blue Note Records by the time he arrived at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio on... 

In addition to boasting one of Reid Miles’ greatest album cover designs, Hank Mobley’s 1963 album No Room for Squares is also... 

The innovative hard bop of Jackie McLean began to evolve and take on a harder edge as the early-1960s progressed. Inspired... 

Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was already a veteran of the NYC jazz scene by the time he began recording as a leader for Blue Note in 1959. In... 

Brother Jack McDuff was already a well-established and prolific organist who led his own soul jazz bands throughout the 1960s when... 

The sound of Blue Note Records has been embedded in hip-hop since the music’s early days with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La... 

Saxophonist Joe Lovano signed with Blue Note Records in 1990 and over the next 25 years became one of the most recorded artists in... 

By the time drummer Pete La Roca recorded his debut album Basra in 1965 he had already appeared on 9 Blue Note sessions as a sideman and spent... 

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Trombonist J. J. Johnson took the language of bebop and adapted it to his instrument winning the admiration of... 

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson appeared on a number of Blue Note sessions throughout the bebop era in the late 1940s and early 1950s... 

The musical partnership between vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson— a Blue Note stalwart since his arrival on the New York jazz scene... 

The crystalline sound of Bobby Hutcherson’s vibraphone was an essential element of a broad range of Blue Note albums throughout the... 

Bobbi Humphrey was one of the most prominent stars on the Blue Note roster of the 1970s. The flutist debuted on the label in 1971 with... 

Flutist Bobbi Humphrey found wide success with Blacks and Blues (1973), her breakout third album for Blue Note, working with the... 

The Indianapolis-born trumpeter Freddie Hubbard introduced his prodigious talent on Blue Note Records with a run of remarkable albums... 

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard burst upon the Blue Note scene in June 1960 with his auspicious debut album Open Sesame. Within 6 months Hubbard... 

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German Jazz pianist Jutta Hipp remains one of the most intriguing yet little-known figures in Blue Note history. A unique... 

On his second Blue Note album Smoke Stack, pianist and composer Andrew Hill used an unusual line-up of two bassists (Richard Davis and Eddie...