The Blue Note Thread

Dark Star Boogie said:
London Jazz Collector? 🤔🧐🤨
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londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com

Blue Note

Last updated: June 27, 2016 Blue Note Records: Index and links to LJC Collector’s Guide pages Blue Note Records: short history Blue Note records at auctions Blue Note auctions: price guide B…
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It's one of my go-to resources for pressing info. Especially which pressings are of good quality and how to recognize them.
 
johnpisme said:
londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com

Blue Note

Last updated: June 27, 2016 Blue Note Records: Index and links to LJC Collector’s Guide pages Blue Note Records: short history Blue Note records at auctions Blue Note auctions: price guide B…
londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com
It's one of my go-to resources for pressing info. Especially which pressings are of good quality and how to recognize them.
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Ah yes, I remember this now.
Wonderful source. 🍻
 
Selaws said:
I have the blue note uncompromising expression book and the The Cover Art of Blue Note Records Vol 1 & 2. I would definitely recommend getting the uncompromising expression book, its superb and by far the best Blue Note book (inc biographies) that I have read.
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I just received this book today! Just skimmed through the pages, but I'm already in love with it. So many beautiful photographs 🥰
 
Speedracer said:
I just received this book today! Just skimmed through the pages, but I'm already in love with it. So many beautiful photographs 🥰
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Brilliant! Its a great reference book. I almost read it daily, whenever I put spin blue note record. I just picked up the Verve book at the weekend and thats fantastic as well!
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Can’t I get a top 5 jazz books out of ya?
(Pretty please! 😁)
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Sure! In no particular order:

Blue Note - Uncompromising Expression (great as a reference book)
Verve - The Sound Of America (another great reference book, I haven't fully absorbed it yet but its worth it for the photos alone)
Miles Davis: The Autobiography (the best jazz autobiography IMO, really interesting and he paints a great image of the era)
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff (really interesting as it follows Coltranes life by focusing on the album releases. The second part of the book looks at his legacy and various reactions/studies of his music)
As Serious As Your Life: Black Music and the Free Jazz Revolution, 1957–1977 by Val Wilmer (a superb book that looks at the most important era of jazz through the work of individual musicians. Each chapter focuses on a different musician, making it a really easy book to read. Wilmer was/is a jazz fan first so the book reads almost like a love letter to the genre whilst still being super informative).

Special Mentions:
Blue Note Records: The Biography by Richard Cook (Its a really informative book but quite heavy and makes the assumption that the reader is already a hard-core Blue Note fan).
Beneath The Underdog: Charles Mingus (This is Mingus' autobiography but it rarely focuses on the music, its essentially an account of all the women hes married, dated, slept with, and pimped out. Very bizarre book but I did finish it with a better understanding of Mingus' character.
The Jazz Tradition by Martin Williams (Another heavy book and perhaps more aimed at musicians than the general jazz fan. A lot of the more specific and detailed parts relating to musical theory went over my head. With that being said, it is a good read and interesting to see how certain albums were received at the time of their release.)
 
Selaws said:
Sure! In no particular order:

Blue Note - Uncompromising Expression (great as a reference book)
Verve - The Sound Of America (another great reference book, I haven't fully absorbed it yet but its worth it for the photos alone)
Miles Davis: The Autobiography (the best jazz autobiography IMO, really interesting and he paints a great image of the era)
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff (really interesting as it follows Coltranes life by focusing on the album releases. The second part of the book looks at his legacy and various reactions/studies of his music)
As Serious As Your Life: Black Music and the Free Jazz Revolution, 1957–1977 by Val Wilmer (a superb book that looks at the most important era of jazz through the work of individual musicians. Each chapter focuses on a different musician, making it a really easy book to read. Wilmer was/is a jazz fan first so the book reads almost like a love letter to the genre whilst still being super informative).

Special Mentions:
Blue Note Records: The Biography by Richard Cook (Its a really informative book but quite heavy and makes the assumption that the reader is already a hard-core Blue Note fan).
Beneath The Underdog: Charles Mingus (This is Mingus' autobiography but it rarely focuses on the music, its essentially an account of all the women hes married, dated, slept with, and pimped out. Very bizarre book but I did finish it with a better understanding of Mingus' character.
The Jazz Tradition by Martin Williams (Another heavy book and perhaps more aimed at musicians than the general jazz fan. A lot of the more specific and detailed parts relating to musical theory went over my head. With that being said, it is a good read and interesting to see how certain albums were received at the time of their release.)
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Absolutely beautiful, thank you.
And I do own the Miles Davis autobiography.
Such an entertaining and engrossing read.
That’s it though
 
I haven't picked up any of the BN80 titles yet, but was looking at ordering some. Obviously the packaging is a step down from MMJ and Tone Poets, but I was curious what the mastering and pressings have been like. In particular, I'm trying to decide about the upcoming Industructible and Hub-Tones preorders on whether I would be happier paying the extra for MMJ copies. Thanks!
 
I have picked up several of the BN 80 and I am very happy with the quality of them. I believe all have been cut by Kevin Gray. Definitely better than the BN 75s. The covers are good quality and include the original liner notes.

Analog Planet gave a good review on the quality of Dexter Gordon's "Doin All Right" earlier this year.
 
TCell said:
I haven't picked up any of the BN80 titles yet, but was looking at ordering some. Obviously the packaging is a step down from MMJ and Tone Poets, but I was curious what the mastering and pressings have been like. In particular, I'm trying to decide about the upcoming Industructible and Hub-Tones preorders on whether I would be happier paying the extra for MMJ copies. Thanks!
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Let me put it this way. Are MM superior to BN80 records? Obviously yes. MMJ is pretty close to the perfect package for several reasons. The jackets are beautifully reproduced and have some stunning session photos in the gatefold. And the sound quality of the music itself has this almost magical quality. Almost every time I put on a Music Matters record I'm just kind of awestruck by how a record can sound so good. It makes me stop and listen. You know that feeling when you hear a note being played and you kind of make a face as if you are disgusted by how good it sounds. That happens to me regularly when listening to MMJ records.

And I'll tell you what, I've made that same face when listening to pretty much every BN80 I've bought. Yesterday I gave Lonnie Smith - Think! it's first spin and I was just amazed about how lifelike the organ and the drums sounded. I have a MM copy of Larry Young - Into Somethin' (also coming to BN80 I believe, great album with Grant Green as a sideman!) and I thought the organ sounded better on Think!. I think unless you have a $10000+ turntable, the difference in sound quality will be negligible. The main difference is the jacket, which doesn't have the session photos in the gatefold and is of lesser quality in general. And then you have that horrible paper inner sleeve, although that is easily replaceable.

So personally I would happily settle for BN80 over MMJ for most records. Only if a certain record was one of my personal favourites would I spring for the upgrade, or of course if you stumble across the MMJ for cheap.
 
Speedracer said:
Let me put it this way. Are MM superior to BN80 records? Obviously yes. MMJ is pretty close to the perfect package for several reasons. The jackets are beautifully reproduced and have some stunning session photos in the gatefold. And the sound quality of the music itself has this almost magical quality. Almost every time I put on a Music Matters record I'm just kind of awestruck by how a record can sound so good. It makes me stop and listen. You know that feeling when you hear a note being played and you kind of make a face as if you are disgusted by how good it sounds. That happens to me regularly when listening to MMJ records.

And I'll tell you what, I've made that same face when listening to pretty much every BN80 I've bought. Yesterday I gave Lonnie Smith - Think! it's first spin and I was just amazed about how lifelike the organ and the drums sounded. I have a MM copy of Larry Young - Into Somethin' (also coming to BN80 I believe, great album with Grant Green as a sideman!) and I thought the organ sounded better on Think!. I think unless you have a $10000+ turntable, the difference in sound quality will be negligible. The main difference is the jacket, which doesn't have the session photos in the gatefold and is of lesser quality in general. And then you have that horrible paper inner sleeve, although that is easily replaceable.

So personally I would happily settle for BN80 over MMJ for most records. Only if a certain record was one of my personal favourites would I spring for the upgrade, or of course if you stumble across the MMJ for cheap.
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Just listening to Herbie Hancock BN80, sounds amazing!

Does anyone have a recommendation for outer sleeves that would fit the Tone Poets?
 
Speedracer said:
Let me put it this way. Are MM superior to BN80 records? Obviously yes. MMJ is pretty close to the perfect package for several reasons. The jackets are beautifully reproduced and have some stunning session photos in the gatefold. And the sound quality of the music itself has this almost magical quality. Almost every time I put on a Music Matters record I'm just kind of awestruck by how a record can sound so good. It makes me stop and listen. You know that feeling when you hear a note being played and you kind of make a face as if you are disgusted by how good it sounds. That happens to me regularly when listening to MMJ records.

And I'll tell you what, I've made that same face when listening to pretty much every BN80 I've bought. Yesterday I gave Lonnie Smith - Think! it's first spin and I was just amazed about how lifelike the organ and the drums sounded. I have a MM copy of Larry Young - Into Somethin' (also coming to BN80 I believe, great album with Grant Green as a sideman!) and I thought the organ sounded better on Think!. I think unless you have a $10000+ turntable, the difference in sound quality will be negligible. The main difference is the jacket, which doesn't have the session photos in the gatefold and is of lesser quality in general. And then you have that horrible paper inner sleeve, although that is easily replaceable.

So personally I would happily settle for BN80 over MMJ for most records. Only if a certain record was one of my personal favourites would I spring for the upgrade, or of course if you stumble across the MMJ for cheap.
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Yeah, I have some Music Matters titles and love them, but I've tried to keep it just to my very favourites as they're quite expensive, especially the SRX titles.

Fwiw, I just preordered Indestructible, Hub-Tones, and Una Mas from the BN80 series for $78.63 CAD (= $59.48 USD) shipped, while just Indestructible is $64.95 USD on Music Matters + shipping. I love the MMJ gatefolds, but 3 for 1 is a pretty easy decision.

Thanks for the feedback on BN80.
 
TCell said:
Yeah, I have some Music Matters titles and love them, but I've tried to keep it just to my very favourites as they're quite expensive, especially the SRX titles.

Fwiw, I just preordered Indestructible, Hub-Tones, and Una Mas from the BN80 series for $78.63 CAD (= $59.48 USD) shipped, while just Indestructible is $64.95 USD on Music Matters + shipping. I love the MMJ gatefolds, but 3 for 1 is a pretty easy decision.

Thanks for the feedback on BN80.
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Like other people said, they’re great for the price point. Mastering and sound wise they are a tiny hair below the Tone Poets. And obviously the packaging is pretty bare bones compared to Music Matters, I love those session photos, but they serve their purpose well.

I plan on buying most of them, in all honesty.
 
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