The Blue Note Label : A Discography

From 1939 until the late 1960s, much of the best in recorded mainstream jazz was issued on the Blue Note label, which set the standard for excellence in both music and production. . . . The present work provides complete discographical information on every recording made or issued by Blue Note. Included is also an index of listed artists, a history of the label, and 11 pages of photographs. Although partial discographies of the Blue Note catalog have been published previously, this is the first comprehensive one to appear. One of the authors is an acknowledged authority on Blue Note and the other is a widely published discographer. Because of the importance of Blue Note in the history of jazz, this meticulously prepared book would be a worthwhile addition to any music reference section in either public or academic libraries. Choice

This discography consists of a complete listing of all the sessions recorded by the Blue Note label, starting in 1939, and extending through the label's temporary demise in 1981 and subsequent revitalization in 1985. The first part of the discography details all the sessions conducted by Lion and Wolff from 1939 through mid-1967. All existing takes are listed and numbered. The next section lists all the Blue Note sessions of 1967 through 1979, when the label became part of the Liberty and then EMI recording companies. Part 3 and 4 of the discography list Blue Note reissues of material from EMI and other labels. Part 5 details Blue Note sessions made or issued by the new Blue Note series, which was started in 1985. Sessions are listed with all available information on personnel, recording locations and dates, and master and issue numbers. Part 6 lists single series, Part 7 lists album series, and both provide comprehensive lists of foreign issues along with a table of equivalent U.S. singles or albums. Foreign reissues that are identical to U.S. issues are not listed. The work then provides compact disc and cassette tape listings, and concludes with an artist index. The index contains all the names appearing in the session listings, and indicates cases where the artists appeared as sideman.

MICHAEL CUSCUNA the cofounder of Mosaic Records, is a record producer and a recognized authority on the Blue Note label.

MICHEL RUPPLI has made a major contribution to this field with discographies of the Atlantic, Prestige, Savoy, Chess, Verve, and King Labels (all published by Greenwood Press).