Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Blue Mitchell’s 1964 album The Thing To Do is one of five vintage Blue Note albums that will be reissued on vinyl on May 6. (Photo: Blue Note Records/©Mosaic Images)
(Photo: )The label Blue Note has become a curator on the streaming service Apple Music, giving fans another way to enjoy new and classic jazz from the esteemed label’s diverse roster of artists.
In addition to iTunes.com/BlueNote, a dedicated iTunes destination, Blue Note is now an official curator on Apple Music, making it the first jazz label to be given the honor.
Blue Note’s curated playlists explore many eras and styles, with themes like The Hits, The Ballads, Vital Organs, Jazz Now!, Jazz Meets Hip-Hop and Blue Note’s Jazz Vocalists. (DownBeat is also an official Apple Music curator.)
Blue Note has released several notable albums in 2016, presenting new music from legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd (I Long To See You,) jazz organ icon Dr. Lonnie Smith (Evolution), British band GoGo Penguin (Man Made Object) and Paris-based saxophonist Logan Richardson, whose label debut, Shift, features guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Nasheet Waits.
Blue Note is also continuing to mine its 77-year history by reissuing 12-inch vinyl versions of some of its classic titles. Among the LPs already available are saxophonist John Coltrane’s Blue Train, pianist Thelonious Monk’s Genius Of Modern Music and saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil.
The Blue Note Records Vinyl Reissue Series continues on May 6 with the release of vintage titles on LP from vocalist Sheila Jordan, saxophonist Ike Quebec, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, organist Big John Patton and saxophonist Sam Rivers.
Jordan’s 1962 album Portrait Of Sheila was one of the few vocal albums that Blue Note founder Alfred Lion recorded during the label’s classic era. Jordan interprets a set of standards backed by guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Denzil Best. The program includes a memorable vocalese version of Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere.”
Quebec’s 1961 album Blue And Sentimental illustrates his bluesy, soulful style with the stellar quartet of guitarist Grant Green, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
Recorded in 1964, The Thing To Do was Mitchell’s second album for Blue Note and featured the beautiful ballad “Mona’s Mood.” The band included tenor saxophonist Junior Cook and bassist Gene Taylor. This album marked the first Blue Note appearances by pianist Chick Corea and drummer Al Foster.
Let ’Em Roll (1965) was Patton’s fifth Blue Note album and featured a quartet with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, guitarist Green and drummer Otis Finch.
Rivers’ debut album, Fuchsia Swing Song, was recorded in 1964. Featuring a quartet of like-minded explorers with Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums, the album presented six Rivers originals, including the ballad “Beatrice.”
To follow the Blue Note Apple Music profile, click here. To see Blue Note’s iTunes destination, click here. To learn more about the label’s vinyl reissues, click here.
To see DownBeat’s Apple Music playlists, click here. To read a DownBeat Editors’ Pick review of GoGo Penguin’s Man Made Object, click here. To read a review of guitarist Lionel Loueke’s 2015 Blue Note album Gaia, click here.
DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
Mar 10, 2026 1:43 PM
Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
