Legendary labels Decca Records and Blue Note have joined forces for Blue Note Re:imagined; a brand-new collection of classic Blue Note tracks, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the UK scene’s most exciting young talents.
Representing a bridge between the ground-breaking label’s past and future, the project features contributions from a rollcall of internationally acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B acts – Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Mr Jukes, Steam Down, Skinny Pelembe, Emma-Jean Thackray, Poppy Ajudha, Jordan Rakei, Fieh, Ishmael Ensemble, Blue Lab Beats, Melt Yourself Down, Yazmin Lacey, Alfa Mist, and Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith.
Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future and reflecting the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene.
The first track to be released is South London vocalist Ego Ella May’s reimagining of visionary drummer Chico Hamilton’s The Morning Side Of Love, which first appeared on Hamilton’s 1975 Blue Note album Peregrinations. Mirroring the understated, laid-back groove of the original whilst showcasing Ella May’s arresting vocals. Additional tracks on the album will include funk-pop duo Franc Moody’s version of Donald Byrd’s Cristo Redentor, fast-emerging vocalist Cherise’s take on Norah Jones Sunrise, Maya Delilah covering Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, which was recorded by Cassandra Wilson on her 1995 Blue Note album Blue Moon Daughter, Birmingham-born pianist Reuben James’ reimagining of Wayne Shorter’s ballad Infant Eyes, London tuba player and Sons of Kemet member Theon Cross with a version of the Thelonious Monk/Kenny Clarke composition Epistrophy, and 9-piece afro-jazz outfit Nubiyan Twist’s fresh spin on Donald Byrd’s Through The Noise (Chant 2).
Blue Note President Don Was:
“For more than eight decades the artists of Blue Note Records have continually pushed the envelope of contemporary music, and Blue Note Re:imagined II once again honors that legacy by letting the UK’s most creative young artists reinvent the treasures of the Blue Note catalog through their own lens.”
