Blue Note Records
jazz record label, established in 1936 by Alfred Lions and Frank Wolff. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues.
During the 1950s and 1960s Blue Note issued a large number of influential jazz records by a large number of the finest players of the day, including jazz legends such as Bud Powell, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Wayne Shorter.
Rudy Van Gelder recorded most Blue Note releases throught the 1960's, and his deft engeneering was, in its own way, as important and revolutionary as the music.
Blue Note were also known for their striking and unusual album cover designs (usually photographed by Francis Wolff and designed by Reid Miles), which extended to the edge of the cover and which was often stained, featuring sans-serif typeface, and often a rectangular white title band.
Blue Note was acquired by Liberty Records in 1967. When EMI purchased Liberty in 1979, it phased out the Blue Note label until 1985, when it was relaunched as part of EMI's Manhattan Records.
The Blue Note catalogue and name are now owned by Capitol Records.
References
- Cook, Richard. Blue Note Records: A Biography. ISBN 1932112103.
- Marsh, Graham & Callingham, Glyn. Blue Note: Album Cover Art. ISBN 0811836886.
- Wolff, Francis et al. Blue Note Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff. ISBN 0789304937.
See also
