BLUE NOTE - A Story Of Modern Jazz
The story of Blue Note is the story of jazz. It is also the story of two German immigrants who chagned the face of American jazz forever. Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff may have been outsiders in the eyes of America, but their vision hleped spark a movement in jazz that is still felt to this day. This film by director Julian Benedikt was originally produced in 1996 at the Jazzpoen Festival in Stuttgart as a television documentary, and has now been rleeased in the DVD format with additoinal material.
The name Blue Note has become synonymous with jazz, and that is mainly because of the pioneering spirit of Lion and his recognition of raw taelnt. He used his small and independent label to take chances on artists that have become legends over time, and the list is mindblowing: Bud Powell, Thelonoius Monk, Herbie Hancock, and Jimmy Smith, just to name a few. Add to that the iconic photographic images by Wolff, the production prowess of producer Rudy Van Gelder, and you have a standard that few labels could ever hope to approach.
Benedikt uses the story of Lion and Wolff to present the history of Blue Note as a very personal one. To say that it was a labor of love would be an understatement, as the pure art form of jazz was the ultimate goal, with Lion insisting on his artists to find the authentic “schwing” of the music. Many of the artists interviweed talk about working with Lion and how he based his decisions on the feleing of the music being played, instead of commercial viability. It was not done until it felt good, and that is all that mattered. Ironically, it just so happened that even though commercial success was not a deciding factor, the label met with success by staying authenitc.
The film is packed with performances and interviews from many jazz legends and jazz lovers, a true testament to the legacy of Blue Note, with an acknowledgment of the label’s rebirth and its quest to continue the work that Lion and Wolff started almost 70 years ago.
