Blue Note Works 1500 series Vol.1511-1520

 

Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label, owned by Universal Music Group and currently operates in conjunction with Decca Records. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. Originally dedicated to recording traditional jazz and small group swing, from 1947 the label began to switch its attention to modern jazz. While the original company did not itself record many of the pioneers of bebop, significant exceptions are Thelonious Monk, Fats Navarro and Bud Powell.

Many great jazz musicians recorded for Blue Note, but the man responsible for the quality of label’s recordings – their high dynamic and tonal range and lifelike presence – was sound engineer, Rudy Van Gelder. It was his recording equipment, choice and placement of microphones, the work at the mixing desk, the selection and rejection of takes, and the active supervision of the whole recording process from monitoring the dials through to cutting of the master lacquer, that created the “Blue Note sound”.

Van Gelder always sought to be at the forefront of recording technology – the Scully lathe he used for cutting lacquer masters was the first to feature variable pitch/depth control to optimise groove-width and loudness. He deployed the newest Neumann/ Telefunken U-47 condenser microphone, which he had specially modified for use very close to instruments. His recordings were made on the latest Ampex tape recorders.

Blue Note made the switch to 12" LPs late in 1955. The Modern Jazz Series continued with the following 12" LPs. Many of these were issued in both monaural versions (BLP series) and stereo versions (BST 81500 series), sometimes in electronically rechanneled stereo. In certain cases, the stereo versions of recordings from 1957 onwards only appeared many years later. Beginning in 1956 with BLP 1509, Reid Miles designed most of the Blue Note LP covers. The 1500 series has been systematically reissued by Toshiba-EMI in Japan ("Blue Note Works 1500" series, 20-bit 88.2 kHz CDs); the catalog numbers are TOCJ-1501, etc.


BN.1511- Thelonious Monk- 1952- Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2 {RVG Remaster}
BN.1512- Jimmy Smith- 1956- A New Sound, A New Star, Vol.1
BN.1513- Thad Jones- 1956- Detroit-New York Junction {RVG Remaster}
BN.1514- Jimmy Smith- 1956- A New Sound, A New Star, Vol.2
BN.15BN.15- Jutta Hipp- 1956- At the Hickory House Vol.1 {RVG Remaster}
BN.1516- Jutta Hipp- 1956- At the Hickory House Vol.2 {RVG Remaster}
BN.1517- Gil Melle- 1956- Patterns In Jazz (Mono) {RVG Remaster}
BN.1518- Horace Silver- 1955- Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers {RVG Remaster}
BN.1519- Herbie Nichols- 1956- Herbie Nichols Trio
BN.1520- Horace Silver- 1953- Horace Silver And Spotlight On Drums Art Blakey- Sabu {RVG Remaster}

Gil Melle - The Complete Blue Note Fifties Sessions (2 CD, 1998/FLAC)

 

This wonderful 2-CD set by saxophonist Gil Melle is one of six titles released as part of Blue Note's new Connoisseur 10" series. The set consists of four 10" LPs and the one 12" LP (Patterns In Jazz) Gil recorded for the label. These extremely rare sessions contain a mix of straight bop, a number of standards and many of Melle's unique third stream compositions. Melle's use of a guitar (Tal Farlow, Lou Mecca and Joe Cinderella) in place of a piano was seen as a bold, innovative step.

At the time of these recordings, 1952 to 1956, Melle was quite prolific, but by 1957 he had moved on to pursue other interests. He has scored over 125 films, painted, experimented with electronic instruments and is often credited for inventing the first drum machine.