Blue Mitchell

Lou Donaldson: Say It Loud

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 23, 2023

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 ...

John Mayall: The First Generation 1965-1974

by Maurizio Comandini
August 8, 2022

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 ...

The First Generation 1965-1974

by John Kelman
March 18, 2021

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 ...

Time for Listeners’ Favorites

by Marc Cohn
May 8, 2020

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 ...

Tina Brooks Quintet: The Complete Recordings

by Chris May
March 9, 2020

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 ...

Hank Mobley: The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 8, 2020

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 ...

Blue Mitchell: Down With It!

by Matt Leskovic
July 25, 2007

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 ...

Blue Mitchell: Smooth as Wind

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 25, 2019

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

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 21, 2016

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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