Bringing back the delights of Blue Note

Chichester Jazz Club explores the Sound of Blue Note on Friday, October 18.

The Blue Note record label formed in 1939 was, from the very start, as CJC chairman Hugh Ashton explains, meticulous in all that it did.

“It used the best vinyl, paid musicians for rehearsals and implemented a policy of innovative record sleeve layouts incorporating the best photographers and leading-edge graphic designers.

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“And, on top of all this, the label gave recording opportunities for the more progressive jazz music of its day. Originally dedicated to presenting traditional jazz and small group swing, from 1947 the label began to switch its attention to modern jazz.

“In this context, Blue Note became principally associated with the hard bop style which mixes bebop jazz with other forms of music including soul, blues, rhythm and blues and gospel. And some of the most iconic recordings of small band jazz of the 1950s and 60s from the likes of Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, and Hank Mobley demonstrate the musical richness that the label brought to the international jazz scene.

“To bring this up-to-date, Chichester Jazz Club is excited to present the Sound of Blue Note. This acclaimed tribute band gives outstanding renditions of the label’s most memorable recordings.

“The policy of the band is to take original tracks and play the ensemble passages the same as or very close to original Blue Note versions, but with plenty of scope for improvisation and creativity in the solos.

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“And the band is well-served by its main soloists: pianist Guy Gardner, the much experienced and travelled Canadian Terry Quinney on saxophone, Andy Urquhart, trumpeter with Dave Peason’s Big Band and fresh from music duties with the British Army and at the Jazz Cafe, Sandbanks, and Mark Nightingale, living up to his reputation with fellow musicians as possibly the finest living trombonist in Britain or Europe or maybe the world!”

The concert will take place at The Pallant Suite, South Pallant, Chichester on Friday, October 18 where the music starts at 7.45pm and doors open at 6.30pm. Advance tickets from Chichester’s TIC Office, The Novium, Tower Street: 01243 775888; www.chichesterjazzclub.co.uk.