THE CROSSROADS Blue Note Artists
Alfred Lion founded Blue Note Records in 1939 with the help of his friend, executive and photographer Francis Wolff. Together they created a label that featured a staggering number of legendary jazz artists, developing and promoting their talents with help of graphic designer Reid Miles and iconic sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder. They produced not only the unique Blue Note sound, but also its look and, crucially, vibe.
They recorded them all, Monk, Davis, Coltrane, Shorter, Hancock, literally a who’s-who of jazz. The label was at the cutting edge for bebop, hard bop and avant-garde styles. Two crucial differences between Blue Note and other labels was for both the enthusiasm of Lion and Wolff for ‘music for music’s sake’, not purely as a commodity to make money. Secondly, they always paid for rehearsals and encouraged the
