Record Label
Blue Note is a label that is mostly known for its releases in the jazz genre. Founded by [[artist:Alfred Lion]] and [[artist:Max Margulis]] in 1939, the label was soon joined by Lion's childhood friend [[artist:Francis Wolff]] (who took photographs during rehearsals used on LP sleeves). The early years saw BN issue 78rpm sides featuring traditional jazz artists and small-group swing, but from 1947 the company began to record the emerging bop movement with sides from [[artist:Thelonious Monk]] and, in the next few years, [[artist:Bud Powell]] and [[artist:Fats Navarro]]. From the 1950s, Blue Note recorded musicians such as the Hammond organist [[artist:Jimmy Smith]] and artists in the hard-bop idiom such as [[artist:Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers]]. Albums by long-time artists [[artist:Lee Morgan]] (The Sidewinder) and [[artist:Horace Silver]] (Song For My Father) made a significant impact in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the label recorded more exploratory albums by [[artist:Ornette Coleman]] and [[artist:Cecil Taylor]], among others Lion sold the label to [[label:13531]] in 1965 and retired in 1967. Wolff died in 1971. By now, more commercially-oriented music, including jazz-fusion, had started to be issued on the label, but in 1975, then-owners [[label:4898]] launched a reissue program of Blue Note's back catalog which lasted until 1980. The previous year, Blue Note became a label of [[label:654]]. Beginning in 1982, Blue Note sessions began appearing in box-sets from [[label:100901]] (co-owned by [[artist:Michael Cuscuna]]). The label itself was relaunched as part of Capitol subsidiary [[label:85486]] in 1985 and began making new recordings, re-releasing albums and previously unissued material from the Lion-Wolff era found by Cuscuna. In 1989, [[label:85486]] was discontinued and Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized (two years later, [[label:85486]] was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases). A 2005 reorganization at both [[label:654]] and parent company [[label:26126]] put Blue Note along with sister labels [[label:85486]], Angel, Virgin Classics and Metro Blue under the Blue Note Label Group umbrella covering jazz, classical and adult pop recordings. In 2012, [[artist:62920]] succeeded [[artist:1120514]] as Blue Note's president, and the label's owner, [[label:26126]], was purchased by the [[label:38404]]. Please note, many Blue Note issues also carry an [[label:26126]] logo. This is not a label and [[label:EMI]] should not be added as a label. Instead it indicates that Blue Note was part of the EMI Group. Blue Note® is a registered trademark of [[label:87317]]