Collection: Blue Note​

Profile:

Blue Note is a label that is mostly known for its releases in the jazz genre.

Label Code: LC 0133 / LC 00133

Founded by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis in 1939, the label was soon joined by Lion's childhood friend Francis Wolff (who took photographs during rehearsals used on LP sleeves). The early years saw BN issue 78rpm sides featuring traditional jazz artists and small-group swing, but from 1947 the company began to record the emerging bop movement with sides from Thelonious Monk and, in the next few years, Bud Powell and Fats Navarro. From the 1950s, Blue Note recorded musicians such as the Hammond organist Jimmy Smith and artists in the hard-bop idiom such as Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Albums by long-time artists Lee Morgan (The Sidewinder) and Horace Silver (Song For My Father) made a significant impact in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the label recorded more exploratory albums by Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor, among others

Lion sold the label to [l13531 in 1965 and retired in 1967. Wolff died in 1971. By now, more commercially-oriented music, including jazz-fusion, had started to be issued on the label, but in 1975, then-owners [l4898 launched a reissue program of Blue Note's back catalog which lasted until 1980. The previous year, Blue Note became a label of [l654.

Beginning in 1982, Blue Note sessions began appearing in box-sets from [l100901 (co-owned by Michael Cuscuna). The label itself was relaunched as part of Capitol subsidiary [l85486 in 1985 and began making new recordings, re-releasing albums and previously unissued material from the Lion-Wolff era found by Cuscuna.

In 1989, [l85486 was discontinued and Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized (two years later, [l85486 was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases).

A 2005 reorganization at both [l654 and parent company [l26126 put Blue Note along with sister labels [l85486, Angel, Virgin Classics and Metro Blue under the Blue Note Label Group umbrella covering jazz, classical and adult pop recordings.

In 2012, [a62920 succeeded [a1120514 as Blue Note's president, and the label's owner, [l26126, was purchased by the [l38404.

Please note, many Blue Note issues also carry an [l26126 logo. This is not a label and EMI should not be added as a label. Instead it indicates that Blue Note was part of the EMI Group.

Parent label:

Capitol Music Group

Contact info:

The Blue Note Label Group 150 Fifth Ave., 6th Fl. New York NY 10011 USA P: (212) 786-8600 Historical Contact Info (all contact info now obsolete): Labels: ~2000s: Blue Note Records Inc. • New York USA ~1990s: Blue Note Records • 304 Park Ave. S. • NYC 1983 to 2004 (Japan): Blue Note Records Inc. • New York USA 1982 to 1986 (France): Blue Note Records Inc. • 47 West 63rd • NYC 1977 to 1983 (Japan): Blue Note Records Inc. • 47 West 63rd • NYC 1975 to ~1979: • Blue Note Records • Manufactured By United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc. 1975 to ~1978: Blue Note Records—A Division Of United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc. 1973 to ~1975: Blue Note Records—A Division Of United Artists Records, Inc. 1971 to ~1975: Blue Note Records • A Division Of United Artists Records, Inc. 1966 to ~1970: Blue Note Records • A Division Of Liberty Records, Inc. 1962 to ~1966: Blue Note Records Inc • New York USA 1959 to ~1962: Blue Note Records Inc • 47 West 63rd • NYC 1958 to ~1959: Blue Note Records • 47 West 63rd • NYC 1957 to ~1958: Blue Note Records • 47 West 63rd • New York 23 1943 to 1957: Blue Note Records 767 Lexington Ave NYC (late 1941-1943: operations suspended while Alfred Lion was in the army) 1940 to 1941: Blue Note Records 10 W. 47th St. NYC *Though appears on first press of [url=https://www.discogs.com/release/14121457-James-P-Johnson-J-P-Boogie-Gut-Stomp]Blue Note 24[/url] recorded in 1943 and released 1944. 1939 to 1940: Blue Note Records 235 – 7th Ave., N.Y.C. Back Cover: ~1996: Blue Note Records, 1290 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10104 1968: Blue Note Records Inc., 1776 Broadway, New York 10019 1965 to 1966: Blue Note Records Inc., 43 West 61st St., New York, N. Y. 23 1960 to 1965: Blue Note Records Inc., 43 West 61st St., New York 23 1959: Blue Note Records Inc., 43 West 61st Street, New York 23, N. Y. 1957 to 1958: Blue Note Records 47 West 63rd. St. New York 23, New York Until ~1956: Blue Note Records, 767 Lexington Ave., New York 21