Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
The Verve Music Group and Blue Note Records have joined together to launch The Definitive Series which honors the classic artists of jazz with collections that span the archives of both label groups. This is the first time in history that the two labels have worked together on a project of this nature, pooling their archives to create complete documents of these jazz legends’ talents. Each of the 14 albums, due to be released on September 24, 2002, represents the true highlights of such wide-ranging artists as Chet Baker, Nat “King” Cole, Stan Getz, and Sarah Vaughan.
Splitting the releases evenly Verve will issue The Definitive Clifford Brown, The Definitive Stan Getz, The Definitive Joe Henderson, The Definitive George Shearing, The Definitive Sarah Vaughan, The Definitive Dinah Washington, and The Definitive Joe Williams. Blue Note will release The Definitive Cannonball Adderley, The Definitive Chet Baker, The Definitive Nat “King” Cole, The Definitive Bud Powell, The Definitive Jimmy Smith, The Definitive Art Tatum, and The Definitive McCoy Tyner. In a historical joining of forces, the rival labels have included both popular and overlooked gems to fully showcase the range and career of these jazz legends.
Each album in The Definitive Series represents the artist at their best, as they recorded for different labels during the peaks of their careers. The songs were drawn from the diverse catalogs of Blue Note, Capitol, Decca, EmArcy, Impulse!, Mercury, MGM, Pacific Jazz, Roost, Roulette, and Verve, among others.
“We are very pleased that Blue Note has agreed to join us for this unique and unprecedented venture,” said Ron Goldstein, President and CEO of The Verve Music Group. “It follows in the footsteps of our successful joint venture with Sony on the Ken Burns project last year and continues our desire to find alternate ways to market great jazz music.”
Bruce Lundvall, President for Blue Note Records agrees, “I think that this series is one of the most creative marketing concepts that I’ve seen. With Verve’s great catalog artists joined with Blue Note’s, I believe this should be a great success at retail. It’s truly ‘The best of the best’ of each artist in the series.”
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
“[That’s] the thing of the beboppers,” Bradford said. “These guys were important for not only playing that wonderful music, but they knew a sort of social stance, you see?”
Sep 9, 2025 1:07 PM
It was a calm, balmy, near-perfect evening in Westwood, California, not far from UCLA, in the expansive courtyard at…
“I’ve told students, ‘I don’t mind if you use AI for this or that project,’” says MIT’s Pascal Le Boeuf. “‘But you need to tell me.’”
Sep 18, 2025 11:14 AM
A standard joke when it comes to discussing artificial intelligence, or AI, is that it’s developing so rapidly that…
Chuck Manning Works for NASA … and plays jazz.
Sep 18, 2025 11:23 AM
Congratulations! After years of study, you’ve earned your degree in jazz performance. But let’s face it: Making a…
