I listened to some old and new stuff this past week for my Music Monday post, but I think I’m going to feature some older stuff for now and circle back to some of the more recent releases next Monday.
Last week, we celebrated what would have been Blue Mitchell’s 94th birthday. I really like Blue Mitchell. In fact, I’d count Blue Mitchell’s Blue Soul (1959) one of my favorite hard bop albums from the 1950s. The opening track, “Minor Vamp” is just fantastic and “‘Nica’s Dream” closing the album is fantastic as well. I particularly appreciate the sound of the this album and how the spaciousness of the studio situates the musicians so vividly. It is not a Rudy Van Gelder album (who becomes famous for his work with Blue Note) and sounds different in both style and sonics. Check it out:
I hadn’t realized that Blue Mitchell played on five tracks on Elmo Hope album Homecoming! which is an overlooked gem from 1961. Mitchell sounds good on it too:
Of course, Mitchell becomes better known for his work with Blue Note in the 1960s where he contributed to the labels shift from hard bop to “soul jazz.” I’m particularly fond of his 1965 album Down With It! which not only shows that Blue Mitchell can play, but also gives a window into his political side with a track called “March on Selma” (so much for soul jazz being blandly commercial!).
Released the next year is Mitchell’s bluesy Bring It Home To Me (1966).
Finally, from the end of Mitchell’s stay at Blue Note, check out his 1969 album Bantu Village with blues guitarist Freddie Robinson (who famously jumped into Howlin’ Wolf’s band alongside Hubert Sumlin). There’s a lot of blues and funk in his album, and it’s well worth a summer afternoon listen.
Archaeology of the Mediterranean World 