November 1, 2019
To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the legendary jazz record label, Blue Note Records will open its first ever UK pop-up store at Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross on Friday 15th November thru 23rd November to coincide with the EFG London Jazz Festival 2019. The store will offer a one-stop shop for music fans to see and experience the iconic label. It will feature exclusive framed canvas artwork, Blue Note 80 prints, audio & visual installations, exclusive merchandise (T-shirts & Tote-bags), plus vinyl, CDs, DVD and Blu-Ray copies of the recent highly acclaimed film Blue Note Records Beyond The Notes (Director; Sophie Huber), and a special 80th anniversary edition of the celebrated book; Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939 by the late Richard Havers (Thames & Hudson).
BLUE NOTE 80 STORE
KIOSK 108, LOWER STABLE STREET,
COAL DROPS YARD, KING’S CROSS CENTRAL,
LONDON N1C
[Opposite Spiritland Kings Cross]
An array of additional events at the store will be announced across the week with special guest artists, music & speakers.
Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes (Dir. Sophie Huber) will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer on Friday 15th November at 21:30.
Blue Note Records’ events during the EFG London Jazz Festival 2019:
Total Refreshment Centre and Blue Note: Artists & Repertoire
Friday 15 November 2019, 7:15pm
at LONDON Southbank Centre / Queen Elizabeth Hall
Denys Baptiste: Celebrating Joe Henderson
The Blue Note Years
Saturday 23 November 2019, 9:30pm
at LONDON 606 Club
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Other highlights of Blue Note’s 80th Anniversary celebrations include:
- Blue Note Records 80th Anniversary Tour: This November, a triple-bill of current Blue Note artists—Kandace Springs, James Francies, and the James Carter Organ Trio—will embark on a U.S. tour of performing arts centers and theaters around the country in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Blue Note Records. Each artist will perform a set of their own music followed by a finale with all the musicians coming together to perform a classic Blue Note tune.
- Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: “Tone Poet” Joe Harley—co-founder and co-producer of the acclaimed Music Matters audiophile vinyl series—is the producer of this series of all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray and vinyl is manufactured at RTI. The titles were handpicked by Harley and cover lesser-known Blue Note classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note catalog.
- Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series: A series of mid-priced 180g vinyl releases in standard packaging curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman with albums presented by themes: Blue Note Debuts, Blue Grooves, Great Reid Miles Covers, Blue Note Live, and Blue Note Drummer Leaders. The releases will be all-analog whenever an analog source is available with Kevin Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes, and vinyl pressed at Optimal.
- Blue Note Review: The 2nd edition of our vinyl boxset subscription series Blue Note Review: Volume Two – Spirit & Time is currently available at bluenotereview.com. Curated by Don Was, the set encapsulates the past, present, and future of Blue Note by celebrating the brilliant late-career albums of the legendary Tony Williams with a tribute album by current drummers, as well as audiophile reissues of Africaine by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and Patterns by Bobby Hutcherson, the book Spirit & Time: Jazz Drummers On Their Art, the zine Out of the Blue, a set of Topps Blue Note Trading Cards, and a Blue Note carbon fiber anti-static record brush.
- Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes Documentary: Director Sophie Huber’s acclaimed award-winning documentary Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and has since played at over 50 international film festivals and had successful theatrical runs in New York, Los Angeles, and London. The film has been given a DVD, Blu-ray, and digital release.
- Blue Note: The 1500 Series on Apple Music: Apple Music is celebrating our 80th Anniversary with the feature Blue Note: The 1500 Series, an exploration of our fabled 1500 Series that presents a collector’s savvy curation of 10 classic albums in studio quality sound as Apple Digital Masters and the featured playlist Blue Note Records Essentials.
- Jazz Classics Blue Note Edition on Spotify: Spotify’s dedicated Blue Note Records playlist Jazz Classics Blue Note Edition has expanded to 80 tracks in honor of our 80th anniversary.
- Canvas Art Prints of Classic Blue Note Album Covers: A new series of limited-edition wall art that celebrates the iconic imagery of Blue Note’s classic era. Blue Note is offering archival-quality, framed canvas prints in dynamic scale (22”x22”, 32”x32”, 42”x42”) that present the legendary album cover designs of Reid Miles and photography of Francis Wolff. 12 album covers are currently available in the Blue Note Store.
- Vinyl Me, Please Anthology: The Story of Blue Note Records: A special partnership with the record club Vinyl Me, Please who presented an exclusive, limited-edition boxset that sold out in under three hours. The Anthology experience included a 6-album, 7-LP premium boxset plus a private fan community and an exclusive podcast series, which took listeners on a 6-week journey into the history and music of jazz’s most legendary label as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.
- Blue Note X G-SHOCK G-STEEL Timepiece: Casio G-SHOCK released a limited-edition Blue Note Records G-STEEL men’s watch made in honor of our 80th Anniversary. The unique timepiece nods to both iconic brands by featuring bright blue accents and engravings of the G-SHOCK and Blue Note logos. Watch the video celebrating the new Blue Note X G-SHOCK timepiece starring Blue Note artists Charles Lloyd, Kendrick Scott, and lophiile. The watch is available for purchase at select jewelers, fashion boutiques, the G-SHOCK Soho Store and gshock.com.
- Blue Note at Sea: The sold-out 2019 Blue Note at Sea sailed to the Caribbean in January with hosts Don Was, Robert Glasper, and Marcus Miller featuring artist performances, conversations on the history of Blue Note, and screenings of Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes. The 2020 sailing is currently on sale and will feature Glasper, Miller, Gregory Porter, Kamasi Washington, Christian McBride, and more.
