I am sure that many of you will be pleased to learn that there will be two new books published about Blue Note in the next couple of months. I've never read any of Ashley Kahn's books but his latest tome about the celebrated label will be hitting the book stalls in January.
Later this month, Richard Haver's "Uncompromising Expression" is published for anyone who is feeling flush. I had bought his earlier book about the Verve label as a birthday present for my Dad. That volume is a nicely presented effort that charts the origins of Norman Granz' label and includes mini-biographies of the musicians as well as copies of the original album art. If the Blue Note book is half as book, it will be a "must have" acquisition."
Verve is something of a neglected label for me but it always seemed to have a far more commercials agenda which makes the revelation that label owner Granz had Communist affiliations quite perplexing. I haven't read the book in full and only dipped in. Whilst I was aware of Granz' commitment towards the artists on his roster, his political leanings were hitherto unknown to me. You would have imagined that the resultant music championed by someone with very left wing opinions would have been most esoteric and less familiar than someone who championed the likes of Oscar Peterson, in my opinion the least interesting and relevant of all the jazz musicians who came to the fore in the 1950's. There are some classic albums on Verve such as the Ellington / Hodges "Back to back" session which is probably amongst the five greatest small group jazz records of all time. Albums like "Krupa plays Mulligan" are surprisingly incredible and the compilation of Woody Herman tracks from the mid-50's called "Hey, heard the heard ! " only served to demonstrate just how savvy this bandleader was. Granz also captured musicians as significant as Basie, Lester Young, Dizzy, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, etc even if the recordings he produced by the likes of Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith are seen as low points in their recorded careers. Despite this, he did issue some records which may rightly be considered to be classics. Granz is a perplexing character and Verve a strange label mixing uncompromising jam sessions, the best of the then current mainstream and records by the likes of Armstrong & Ella, Getz/ Gilberto, etc which smacked of overt consumerism . Haver's book is a thing of beauty and when I looked through, it was a very gripping read and lavishly illustrated. The reader almost becomes seduced by the content and it seems to include music by such a range of brilliant musicians you almost forget Granz' inability to recognise either the Avant Garde or much of the jazz that came before Basie and largely miscued as far as the major developments in the late 1950's / 1960's were concerned. Can't recollect anything that might be considered as Hard Bop being recorded by Verve. For me, Verve is a bit of a mixed experience - some great music and some pretty average music and nothing ever likely to upset anyone. If you like, if was a serious jazz label for people who might not necessarily be 100% jazz fans.
Blue Note is, in my opinion, a label that is looked at with far greater affection than Verve and is crying out for the kind of attention that Havers have to Granz' labels. If anything, Blue Note is the one label that seemed to have it's finger truly on the pulse throughout it's heyday with only it's commitment to singers and big bands really lacking. The legendary care and attention with which the music was rehearsed, recorded and marketed means that even the album covers are subject to loving scrutiny. This label deserves a proper assessment, especially as the usually excellently perceptible critic, the late Richard Cook's own effort was a huge let down in my opinion. Cook seemed to concentrate on the original of the label and chronicle it's demise whilst missing out the detail on the recordings that everyone wanted to read about. I usually liked Richard Cook's writing as he was a writer who would have you scampering off to explore new things, but this book was extremely disappointing. I'm hoping that both Havers and Kahn will strip away the veneer of the myths built up around Blue Note and shed light on the whole range of the label's output. Like the Decca Basie recordings, the output of Blue Note generally has matured to perfection. There are some efforts which are better than others but I am glad that there looks to be at least one book, if not two, which can chronicle that magic that Alfred Lion managed to conjure up. Judging by the information on this website, the Havers book looks the most exciting thing to happen this year since Saints stormed to second in the PL table!
Later this month, Richard Haver's "Uncompromising Expression" is published for anyone who is feeling flush. I had bought his earlier book about the Verve label as a birthday present for my Dad. That volume is a nicely presented effort that charts the origins of Norman Granz' label and includes mini-biographies of the musicians as well as copies of the original album art. If the Blue Note book is half as book, it will be a "must have" acquisition."
Verve is something of a neglected label for me but it always seemed to have a far more commercials agenda which makes the revelation that label owner Granz had Communist affiliations quite perplexing. I haven't read the book in full and only dipped in. Whilst I was aware of Granz' commitment towards the artists on his roster, his political leanings were hitherto unknown to me. You would have imagined that the resultant music championed by someone with very left wing opinions would have been most esoteric and less familiar than someone who championed the likes of Oscar Peterson, in my opinion the least interesting and relevant of all the jazz musicians who came to the fore in the 1950's. There are some classic albums on Verve such as the Ellington / Hodges "Back to back" session which is probably amongst the five greatest small group jazz records of all time. Albums like "Krupa plays Mulligan" are surprisingly incredible and the compilation of Woody Herman tracks from the mid-50's called "Hey, heard the heard ! " only served to demonstrate just how savvy this bandleader was. Granz also captured musicians as significant as Basie, Lester Young, Dizzy, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, etc even if the recordings he produced by the likes of Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith are seen as low points in their recorded careers. Despite this, he did issue some records which may rightly be considered to be classics. Granz is a perplexing character and Verve a strange label mixing uncompromising jam sessions, the best of the then current mainstream and records by the likes of Armstrong & Ella, Getz/ Gilberto, etc which smacked of overt consumerism . Haver's book is a thing of beauty and when I looked through, it was a very gripping read and lavishly illustrated. The reader almost becomes seduced by the content and it seems to include music by such a range of brilliant musicians you almost forget Granz' inability to recognise either the Avant Garde or much of the jazz that came before Basie and largely miscued as far as the major developments in the late 1950's / 1960's were concerned. Can't recollect anything that might be considered as Hard Bop being recorded by Verve. For me, Verve is a bit of a mixed experience - some great music and some pretty average music and nothing ever likely to upset anyone. If you like, if was a serious jazz label for people who might not necessarily be 100% jazz fans.
Blue Note is, in my opinion, a label that is looked at with far greater affection than Verve and is crying out for the kind of attention that Havers have to Granz' labels. If anything, Blue Note is the one label that seemed to have it's finger truly on the pulse throughout it's heyday with only it's commitment to singers and big bands really lacking. The legendary care and attention with which the music was rehearsed, recorded and marketed means that even the album covers are subject to loving scrutiny. This label deserves a proper assessment, especially as the usually excellently perceptible critic, the late Richard Cook's own effort was a huge let down in my opinion. Cook seemed to concentrate on the original of the label and chronicle it's demise whilst missing out the detail on the recordings that everyone wanted to read about. I usually liked Richard Cook's writing as he was a writer who would have you scampering off to explore new things, but this book was extremely disappointing. I'm hoping that both Havers and Kahn will strip away the veneer of the myths built up around Blue Note and shed light on the whole range of the label's output. Like the Decca Basie recordings, the output of Blue Note generally has matured to perfection. There are some efforts which are better than others but I am glad that there looks to be at least one book, if not two, which can chronicle that magic that Alfred Lion managed to conjure up. Judging by the information on this website, the Havers book looks the most exciting thing to happen this year since Saints stormed to second in the PL table!
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