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Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell died of cancer on May 21st 1979 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 49.
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Lou Donaldson: Say It Loud
![Read "Lou Donaldson: Say It Loud" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/e33a961b264507c07c6dedd6cbebda5b.jpg)
by C. Andrew Hovan
It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the sound of jazz could be heard lingering in the smoky corners of neighborhood bars in every major city from New York to Los Angeles. These ghetto hangouts were on what was often called the 'chitlin' circuit,' a network of predominantly black operated venues that presented organ combos as the norm. Be it at The Smiling Dog Saloon in Cleveland or The Front Room in Newark, jazz and more ...
read moreJohn Mayall: The First Generation 1965-1974
![Read "The First Generation 1965-1974" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/354fd96ce295f0ea8b686af541ed9988.jpg)
by Maurizio Comandini
Se gli inglesi hanno soprannominato The Godfather of the British Blues" l'imperturbabile John Mayall una ragione ci sarà... La malavita non c'entra nulla, per fortuna, ma c'entra tantissimo la buona musica e la capacità di organizzarla partendo da zero, o quasi. John Mayall è nato a Macclesfield, il 29 novembre del 1933. Siamo nello Cheshire, meno di trenta chilometri a sud di Manchester. Il padre è un chitarrista dilettante, appassionato di jazz e di blues e ...
read moreThe First Generation 1965-1974
![Read "The First Generation 1965-1974" reviewed by John Kelman](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/354fd96ce295f0ea8b686af541ed9988.jpg)
by John Kelman
What do guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Jon Mark, Harvey Mandel and Freddy Robinson, reed/woodwind multi-instrumentalists John Almond, Ray Warleigh, Alan Skidmore, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Red Holloway and Ernie Watts, bassists John McVie, Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Tony Reeves, Stephen Thompson and Larry Taylor, drummers Mick Fleetwood, Keef Hartley, Aynsley Dunbar, Jon Hiseman and Collin Allen, trumpeters Henry Lowther and Blue Mitchell, and violinist Don Sugarcane" Harris all share in common? They are but a few of the notable ...
read moreTime for Listeners’ Favorites
![Read "Time for Listeners’ Favorites" reviewed by Marc Cohn](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/2ba6fb8722c01220357db2cd10f588f7.jpg)
by Marc Cohn
It's a show with a number 5 in it (show 425 to be precise). So, it's time for listeners' favorites from shows 411-420. See if yours made the list. Toes tappin' mask on! Enjoy! Playlist Gary Burton Boston Marathon" from Good Vibes (Atlantic) 00:00 Jack McDuff Hunk O' Funk" from To Seek a New Home (Blue Note) 07:16 Ralph Peterson Played Twice" from Fo'tet Plays Monk (Evidence) 13:17 Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners" from Brilliant Corners (Riverside) 18:02 ...
read moreTina Brooks Quintet: The Complete Recordings
![Read "The Complete Recordings" reviewed by Chris May](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/715c5b297cb4d76ef920173ea5bf55e3.jpg)
by Chris May
Mosaic Records' spring 2020 release The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70, the second of the label's box sets devoted to the copiously recorded (and rightly so) Hank Mobley, prompts thoughts of another of Blue Note's singular hard-bop tenor saxophone stylists. Unlike Mobley, Tina Brooks was woefully under-recorded, making just four albums under his own name. But like Mobley, Brooks had an instantly recognisable sound, was a spellbinding soloist and was also a gifted composer. In addition to his ...
read moreHank Mobley: The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70
![Read "The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/7b7184b4d8b52fddf2538361e35d120a.jpg)
by C. Andrew Hovan
The music world has changed considerably since Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie founded their boutique reissue label Mosaic Records back in 1983. From its inception, vinyl was still the preferred format, shortly to be overtaken by the popularity of the compact disc. At the cusp of vinyl's recent resurgence, Mosaic briefly got back into that format only to find themselves on the brink of closing up shop. Fortunately, the powers that be have forged on and recent CD boxed sets ...
read moreBlue Mitchell: Down With It!
![Read "Down With It!" reviewed by Matt Leskovic](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/2007/bluemitchell.jpg)
by Matt Leskovic
It's about time that everyone gets down with Blue Mitchell.
During an era when hard bop giants roamed the earth, trumpeter Blue Mitchell was overshadowed by his more brash contemporaries such as Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. While Mitchell may have not been the most daring hard bop trumpeter, he was unquestionably one of the most steady and reliable.
Consistency is the name of Mitchell's game. His tone is focused and relaxed, and beautifully rounded in ...
read moreBlue Mitchell: Smooth as Wind
![Blue Mitchell: Smooth as Wind](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/6eaa190765189a93c0b908a055f71c34.jpg)
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
One more Tadd Dameron album that is a masterpiece—Blue Mitchell's Smooth as the Wind. Recorded in 1960 and '61 for Riverside, the album showcased Mitchell's fleshy trumpet backed by sophisticated and sympathetic brass and strings. Seven of the songs were arranged by Dameron, with the remaining three by Benny Golson. The songs arranged by Dameron are Smooth as the Wind, But Beautiful, The Best Things in Life Are Free, For Heaven's Sake, The Nearness of You, A Blue Time and ...
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Blue Mitchell + Sonny Red: '66
![Blue Mitchell + Sonny Red: '66](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/6a00e008dca1f0883401b7c8713000970b-500wi.jpg)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
If trumpeter Clifford Brown had a musical doppelgänger, it would probably be Blue Mitchell. Like Brown, Mitchell had a forceful, fleshy trumpet tone and a lyrical sophistication on runs and improvisation. There was a bouncy beauty and grace to Mitchell's playing, but he also could turn up the heat to make a point. On March 20, 1966, Mitchell performed in Baltimore with alto saxophonist Sonny Red at the city's Crystal Ballroom. The concert was produced by the Left Bank Jazz ...
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