{"id":1758,"date":"2020-10-12T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T05:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1758"},"modified":"2021-06-24T17:02:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T22:02:02","slug":"blue-note-reimagined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/blue-note-reimagined\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: ‘Blue Note Re:imagined’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blue Note has a more important discography than almost any label in the history of jazz, encompassing decades of some of the most significant music ever recorded within the idiom. For more than 80 years, the label has produced legendary recordings. It has not rested on its laurels in the modern era, continuing to release compelling and influential works to this day. Blue Note Re:imagined<\/em> (Blue Note\/Decca, 2020) celebrates this tradition by featuring a collection of covers of some of the label\u2019s classics made by young musicians ranging from R&B talent Jorja Smith to multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings. As all of the album\u2019s featured artists are British-based, it can also be seen as a monument to the excitement and musical caliber of the contemporary London scene – a continuation in some ways of the celebrated We Out Here<\/em> (Brownswood Recordings, 2018) compilation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the album excel is that although it encompasses decades of music, performed by those who come from many styles and backgrounds, it does not feel disjointed. The tracks flow together and fit well alongside each other. They have a cohesive aesthetic musically, despite their diversity. Many of the songs embrace the influence of R&B and hip-hop grooves and are danceable when the original source material often is not. Blue Note Re:imagined<\/em> embraces contemporary approaches nearly as much as modern jazz can, to great effect. The musicians play authentically in their own voices and do not simply imitate the originals. This exposes one of the great takeaways from the record; that there are countless links between the classics of the Blue Note catalog and modern jazz and R&B. The second track, the Ezra Collective\u2019s cover of \u201cFootprints,\u201d the Wayne Shorter standard, is an excellent example. Although the horn arrangement only varies slightly from the original, the classic melody is juxtaposed over a tasty J Dilla style neo-soul beat, an effective take on the well-known groove of the song. It also features quality improvisation from trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi and pianist Joe Armon-Jones. The latter provides one of the album\u2019s standout solos, a joyful, articulate expression of emotion. <\/p>\n\n\n

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