[NEW RELEASES] Blue Note

If you’re a jazz fan or just want an introduction to the genre, you cannot possibly do better than to buy this album. You don’t have to read the rest. Go buy it now.

Need more convincing? This three-disc set is an overview of the history of the greatest jazz label of all time - Blue Note - from the early days of the form (disc one) through the boom middle years of bop (disc two) and the label’s corporate resurrection in the ’80s (disc three).

As the liner notes explain (though not as extensively as one might hope), Blue Note put quality before cash, putting out many of the greatest recordings of the greatest artists in jazz history - Sidney Bechet, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman (not represented on the set), Cannonball Adderley and many more. The “modern” disc is the least exciting, but it does include some great selections, from one of my favorite Bobby McFerrin recordings to “Cantaloop,” which started DJs sampling classic jazz for electronica. Overall, there is no better jazz compilation. The store’s that way. By Ben Applegate

Blue Note

“70 Years of the Finest in Jazz”

Label: Warner Music Korea

Genre: Jazz