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Blue Note: A Story of Modern Jazz 
Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk...these names are synonymous with the great Jazz Age. But how many people know Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form, which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: jazz music. Without money or connections and speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians, following their own taste and judgment. Today this list of artists reads like the who's who of jazz. Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz tells the story of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff and their record label. It is the story of the rise of Modern Jazz, of a friendship in exile and of uncompromising artistic excellence. Told by the musicians, by friends and associates, and by fans of the Blue Note recordings from all walks of life, Blue Note recreates an era of American cultural history. http://www.ovationtv.com/...spx?id=536 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Blue Note Records are designed simply to serve the uncompromising expressions of hot jazz or swing in general. Any particular style of playing which represents an authentic way of musical feeling is genuine expression. By virtue of its significance on place, time and circumstances, it possesses it own tradition, a musical and social manifestation, and Blue Note Records are concerned with identifying its impulse, not its sensational or commercial adornments." ~Alfred Lion - May 1939 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Good documentary featuring the background of the founders, fantastic photographs, classic film clips, and interviews with the musicians who made the music. Airing on Ovation TV: http://www.ovationtv.com/... ...a techno-nerd segment. tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Thanks for the heads up...I need to check that out....
I'm not sure I get Ovation TV 
 "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."
Dalai Lama | |
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...
 Thanks, I gotta see this....
... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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man, i would love to see this.
on another note, can you guys believe that the artist for Blue Note use to get all of the Blue Note releases for free and he would trade those in for classical albums.  ---->   | |
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magnificentsynthesizer said: man, i would love to see this.
on another note, can you guys believe that the artist for Blue Note use to get all of the Blue Note releases for free and he would trade those in for classical albums. ----> This was mentioned in the documentary. He, Reid Miles, just wasn't a Jazz fan. Great covers though. 
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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A must for me...a requirement in fact.
Class is in session (Brrrrrinnnnggggg) | |
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theAudience said:
But how many people know Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form, which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: jazz music. Without money or connections and speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians, following their own taste and judgment. Today this list of artists reads like the who's who of jazz. Interesting. Substitute Lion and Wolff for Leonard and Phil Chess, two Polish Jewish immigrants, who went on to found Chess Records in Chicago in the late '40s, and basically gave a platform for great artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Chuck Berry and Fontella Bass, and we see a pattern beginning to emerge ... Commercial alliances in times of racial adversity, I suppose. And another parallel is that so many of the artists who recorded for both Blue Note and Chess were more appreciated outside their own culture and country than within. Like, only when Bird, Monk and Miles came to Europe (France in particular), did they finally feel treated as true artists.
Just goes to show us European cats had great taste even back then . | |
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Miles said: Interesting. Substitute Lion and Wolff for Leonard and Phil Chess, two Polish Jewish immigrants, who went on to found Chess Records in Chicago in the late '40s, and basically gave a platform for great artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Chuck Berry and Fontella Bass, and we see a pattern beginning to emerge ... Commercial alliances in times of racial adversity, I suppose. And another parallel is that so many of the artists who recorded for both Blue Note and Chess were more appreciated outside their own culture and country than within. Like, only when Bird, Monk and Miles came to Europe (France in particular), did they finally feel treated as true artists.
Just goes to show us European cats had great taste even back then .Very good connection. I'd add Japan to the list also. Many Jazz artists, that some thought had just vanished into thin air, were actually making a decent living/working in one or both of those two locales. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Miles said: theAudience said:
But how many people know Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form, which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: jazz music. Without money or connections and speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians, following their own taste and judgment. Today this list of artists reads like the who's who of jazz. Interesting. Substitute Lion and Wolff for Leonard and Phil Chess, two Polish Jewish immigrants, who went on to found Chess Records in Chicago in the late '40s, and basically gave a platform for great artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Chuck Berry and Fontella Bass, and we see a pattern beginning to emerge ... Commercial alliances in times of racial adversity, I suppose. And another parallel is that so many of the artists who recorded for both Blue Note and Chess were more appreciated outside their own culture and country than within. Like, only when Bird, Monk and Miles came to Europe (France in particular), did they finally feel treated as true artists.
Just goes to show us European cats had great taste even back then . Dig it. | |
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 Much thanks. | |
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 2 bad I don't have sound on my computer, very interesting read- and the link U gave 4 ovation Tv is cool, thanks- Nice thread, specially now that i have more deeper
interest in jazz. 
doveluv Smiling Makes Joy Come Alive........and Joy can never die .........  | |
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Miles said: theAudience said:
But how many people know Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form, which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: jazz music.... Interesting. Substitute Lion and Wolff for Leonard and Phil Chess, two Polish Jewish immigrants, who went on to found Chess Records in Chicago in the late '40s, and basically gave a platform for great artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Chuck Berry and Fontella Bass, and we see a pattern beginning to emerge ... Commercial alliances in times of racial adversity, I suppose. And another parallel is that so many of the artists who recorded for both Blue Note and Chess were more appreciated outside their own culture and country than within. Like, only when Bird, Monk and Miles came to Europe (France in particular), did they finally feel treated as true artists.
Just goes to show us European cats had great taste even back then .Hmm  ...so black america didn't dig all those artists?  Europe kinda effectively wiped its hands of the 'race' issue and went 'post-racial'...after starting the dynamic in the first place, lol. I think mainly because of hmm let's see, no pervasive Jim Crow/apartheid (a DUTCH/afrikaans idea mind u), sheer population numbers and popular philosophical shift on race, they were able to appreciate the music & vibe without cries and fears of culture wars. Both labels are GREAT stories as is the role of Europe in selling jazz to white america. Cool stuff..********************************************
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Does this thing gonna get dvd'd? +++ BLUENOTE +++ | |
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BlueNote said:
Does this thing gonna get dvd'd? +++ BLUENOTE +++ It already is: http://entertainment.circ...ore=Movies $17.99 @ Circuit City. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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theAudience said: BlueNote said:
Does this thing gonna get dvd'd? +++ BLUENOTE +++ It already is: http://entertainment.circ...ore=Movies $17.99 @ Circuit City. Right on, bra. | |
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