Classic Blue Note Records You Should Have in Your Collection

 Every serious jazz collection must have a generous helping of the greatest independent jazz label of the 50's and 60's, Blue Note.

 Even some of the sessions that were made after the Liberty Records buyout of 1966 are worthy additions.

Since I am not at all a purist, I don't mind mixing in a few commercial organ jazz records, or some from the avant-garde.

I like many sub-genres of jazz, and have absolutely zero problem including albums from Brother Jack McDuff and Candido Camero, and placing them along side traditional modern jazz classics from Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon, and John Coltrane.

Here's my list:

A Classic Art Blakey and Clifford Brown Blue Note: A Night At Birdland 1954

Here is a classic Blue Note session if there ever was one.

Immortalized by trumpeter Clifford Brown, who was probably Lee Morgans greatest influence.

Talk about a date you'd like to have a time machine to go back to be in the audience that night in 1954?

A real cookin' early hard bop album featuring the leader Blakey on drums, Horace Silver on Piano, and Lou Donaldson  on alto sax.

Still though, it's hard not to focus on the tragedy of Clifford Brown:

Clifford, along with Pianist Richie Powell, and Powell's wife Nancy were killed in an automobile accident on their way to a Cleveland engagement. Powell's wife was the driver. Brown's death was a major blow to jazz, as well as the development of the trumpet's use in jazz.

Art Blakey Free For All: Heavy Metal Hard Bop

Talk about a monster of a hard bop album. Art Blakey's 1964 masterpiece Free For All just might be the the quintessential hard bop album.

"Free For All" the title track is not only "Hard" it's Heavy. I am talking about heavy in the most powerful sense.

Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's composition is seriously in your face, it will nearly take your breath away, it plays like a run away freight train.

 In fact, listening to my vintage vinyl copy of the album, one notices the recording equipment of the day, barely can take the pounding of the sextet.

Blakey's drums and Cedar Walton's piano sets the brisk tempo, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Shorter on tenor sax, and Curtis Fuller on trombone blow up a hurricane playing the hell out of their instruments.

Shorters "Hammerhead" is a bluesy soul jazz work, that offers fine solos from Fuller and Hubbard. Hubbard's "Core" A tribute to the Congress of Racial Equality, is also a powerful vehicle for the band to get heavy.

 Finally Pianist Clare Fischer's "Pensativa" was brought to the session by Freddie Hubbard, He also arranged the track for the album. The slightly down tempo number turns out to be the perfect way to end this aptly titled powerhouse, with its laid back island-rhythm style.

Organ Jazz From Baby Face Willette: Face to Face From 1961

Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette was a Jazz organist who released only 4 albums as a leader, and appeared on only a few as a side man.

Willette passed away in 1971 at the age of 37. The only real notoriety he has received has come in the last decade or so.

 His 2 Blue Note sessions as a leader, Face to Face and Stop and Listen have been reissued in a limited production run, Face to Face has been released on a 180 gram vinyl, a limited edition by the European label Doxy.

I always prefer the original Blue Note pressing if possible, but escalating prices and scarcity make this very difficult sometimes, I don't believe Face to Face was ever reissued by Blue Note its self on vinyl? So this pictured Doxy reissue is very welcome.

Face to Face is an album that features Willette in a soul jazz vain, not unlike Jimmy Smith in style, yet a little more of a gospel or blues influence is noted.

Guitarist Grant Green offers his support on the album, and as always adds a distinctive single note sound.  Green does not use the octaves like Wes Montgomery did. Grant Green really was an underrated player, who also has received the credit he deserved long after his death, Willette also played on Green's Blue Note album Grant's First Stand.

Green plays some seriously advanced single note runs on the lead off track "Swingin' at Sugar Rays" and the tenor sax of Fred Jackson adds some down home flavor.
If you are Hammond or Soul Jazz collector, Face to Face is a must have, and Grant Green Fans should go through hell to hear this record, if you can find an original pressing of Face to Face on eBay, it could set you back the better part of $500.

I was fortunate to find this Doxy reissue at Half Price Books, a chain of discount books and music stores located in the Mid West. I paid $7.99, a bargain indeed.

Freddie Hubbard: Breaking Point (1964)

1964's Breaking Point is one of Freddie's best modal workouts, and "Far Away" is one of my favorite 10 minute workout's of Freddie's career.

The exotic Middle Eastern motif provides a modal workout vehicle for Hubbard and altoist James Spaulding, and they do not disappoint.

 Freddie sure does have a confident brash style, It would be hard to argue at this point that Freddie was the best trumpeter in jazz, even with Lee Morgan still in his prime at this point.

 James Spaulding is also an underrated player, and plays well in bop or free bop settings. Joe Chambers is also a drummer of note, who excels in an avant gard setting. He also is a composer of note, he composed half of Bobby Hutcherson's Components Blue Note album.

Side 1 of Breaking Point has two 10 minute plus tracks, the title track as well as the mentioned middle eastern tinged "Far Away," the title track is sort of a sectioned avant-garde piece, they even throw in some Caribbean sounds into the mix.

Side 2 has more of a traditional hard bop flavor, still inside out a little, but "D-Minor Mint" is one of the better tracks in Hubbard's discography.

The pictured Breaking Point vinyl copy is a late 70's white b reissue, It can be had for about 30 bucks. This copy sounded pretty good, I would like to find a NY USA copy at decent price.

If you're a Blue Note fanatic like I am, perhaps you will enjoy what I have to say about my collecting journey on one my other blogs about Vintage Blue Note Records.