It’s going to split a few people this one. And whilst Christmas is as good a time as any to start an argument (gooder, in my view) there’s really no reason why this impeccable selection of Blue Note originals can’t sit quietly alongside the Jazznova collective’s fashion assisted fusion of hip-hop, funk, breakbeat and soul without poking at one another or pulling out their tongues. Likewise, there’s no reason for Blue Note sophisticates to dismiss this mix record simply because its compiled by a group of good-time krauts endorsed by the BBC’s newly crowned king of crud, Giles Peterson. You can no more dismiss it as ‘nice background music for a house party’ than you can credit it for being a definitive account of Blue Note Records. Blue Note Records always cast its net far and wide and no one album is ever likely to illustrate it fully. Take it from someone who hasn’t got a clue. Afterall, its not what you know, it’s how you fail to apply it.
After 10 years of inspired DJ’ing around the globe, the Berlin-based production crew, Jazzanova has compiled an album for Blue Note Records based totally on its back-catalogue, providing two sides of moods and a solid 25 tracks of quality archive. Thankfully the album has been spared the buzz of additional breaks and beats, instead relying on the interplay between musicians and the combinations of melodies to achieve the musical ‘flow’. Its vintage material yes, but appreciated and refracted through a contemporary ear and avoiding the traditional jazz stereotype with the emphasis thrown on the uplifting, the challenging, the melodic and the club-friendly. And gluing the whole thing together – the regular weight of Horace Silver compositions and the tingling vibraphone clarity of Bobby Hutcherson.
Split evenly into 2 discs: the first a club disc, the second an ‘ultimate Sunday Morning listening session’. Artists featured include: Bobbi Humphrey, Bobby Hutcherson, James Moody, Horace Parlan, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Tina Brooks, Chico Hamilton, Charlie Rouse and Duke Pearson.
Who better to arbitrate than someone who really doesn’t care either way? This sounds good. And its sound that counts, right?