Blue Note Re:Imagined will return in 2022 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, the track is out today and you can check it out below.
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.”
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 is celebrated almost as much for its visionary album art as for its legendary recordings. Designer for the Blue Note Re:Imagined campaign was Jay Vaz: “The Blue Note Re:Imagined identity explores an abstract graphic notation score, aiming to represent the exciting energy and diverse range of artists that the new wave of jazz offers. The LP cover pays homage to a selection of legendary Reid Miles covers [in particular, Jackie McLean – It’s Time] that I felt perfectly executed the energy of this compilation.”
Blue Note Re:Imagined II includes the following tracks:
Yazz Ahmed “It” – From Chick Corea The Complete “IS” Sessions (2002)
Conor Albert “You Make Me Feel So Good”- From Bobbi Humphrey Fancy Dancer (1975)
Parthenope “Don’t Know Why” – From Norah Jones Come Away With Me (2002)
Swindle “Miss Kane” – From Donald Byrd Street Lady (1973)
Nubiyan Twist “Through The Noise (Chant No.2)” – From Donald Byrd A New Perspective (1963)
Ego Ella May “The Morning Side Of Love” – From Chico Hamilton Pereginations (1975)
Oscar Jerome & Oscar #Worldpeace “(Why You So) Green With Envy” – From Grant Green Green Street (1961)
Daniel Casimir ft. Ria Moran “Lost” – From Wayne Shorter The Soothsayer (1979)
Theon Cross “Epistrophy” – From Thelonious Monk Genius Of Modern Music (1952)
Maya Delilah “Harvest Moon” – From Cassandra Wilson New Moon Daughter (1995)
Kay Young “Feel Like Making Love” – From Marlena Shaw Mama Got a Bag of Her Own (2006)
Venna & Marco Bernardis “Where Are We Going” – From Donald Byrd Blackbryd (1973)
Reuben James “Infant Eyes” – From Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil (1966)
Binker Golding “Fort Worth” – From Joe Lovano From The Soul (1992)
Cherise “Sunrise” – From Norah Jones Feels Like Home (2004)
Franc Moody “Cristo Redentor”– From Donald Byrd A New Perspective (1963)