Blue Note Records: A Biography

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Although this is an interesting read, it is unlikely to tell anyone with an interest in Blue Note Records anything much that they don't already know. Virtually all the material covered is available in previous books, films, sleeve notes, internet Bulletin Boards and so on that afficianados of the label would have already accessed.
In this sense it is a disappointing book. We have virtually no new information that most Blue note fans would have liked to have seen. The one area that is particularly lacking is any insight into the economics of the label. It may be that detailed copies of sales data might not exist (or do they?). Alas, Cook does not make any attempt to find out - or if he did, he doesn't report his efforts. As a result we have no idea as to what sort of sales constituted a good seller, what sort of sales led to a record ending up in the black, which artists made good sales and so on.
This is more than prurient interest to the collector (presumably a major chunk of the potential market for this book). Collectors are aware that re-releases from the catalogue, although not wholly dominated by sales potential, are nevertheless strongly influenced by them. Knowledge of historic sales data would allow the collector to judge just how rare some item is, and whether it is likely to be re-released in the future.
Another area which disappoints is knowledge of the sociology and politics of the label. It is widely touted that Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff had pretty progressive views on race and race relations during a turbulent period in US history in this respect. Personally, I would have liked to see this issue explored in much more depth. Is the propoganda of the label accurate? How did Blue Note stand in terms of race relations? Was there an artistic agenda to further the cause of civil rights in the 50s and 60s?
Lastly, many of the giants and the not-so-well known side men and journey men that produced the famous sound of Blue Note were at the time the book was being written still alive and well. Alas, those ranks are ever decreasing in number. It is a pity that we do not have more information from the musicians themselves about the label and its people. Cook had a remarkable opportunity to draw on these wonderful artists, probably the last chronicler of Blue Note to have the chance of doing so. That he failed to extensively draw on the insights of the Blue Note artists of the golden age of the label is a particular disappointment.
Having said this, the book is a good read and will certianly give someone new to Blue Note the flavour of the label behind the marvellous music. If they become a fan, however, their knowledge will quickly run ahead of this book and they will be seeking a more definitive account of Blue Note records.

Rating:
Summary: A captivating look at the greatest jazz label of all time
Review: I picked this book up after reading about it in Rolling Stone. They gave it a very positive review - one that I agree with. Richard Cook certainly has done a great deal of research. His dry wit brings the tale of Blue Note Records to life. This book is a must buy for anyone interested in jazz.

Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like this book
Review: I was disappointed with the fairly dry presentation of material that I expected to be so interesting. The book is not without it's merits for the jazz lover who enjoys the recordings described. there is some inside info here but not much that couldn't be gathered from reading the excellent liner notes on the cd's themselves. The music captured on the Blue Note label is one of the great joys of my life. The RVG series of reissues on CD are consistently outstanding and capture a cultural period that was almost unbelievable in terms of the talent and creativity being expressed. I bought this book because I couldn't resist the desire to know as much as possible about the period and the personalities involved. The treatment here is adequate at best and at times quite dull. Sorry, but I can't give this more than 3 stars and that is based on the subject matter more than the style in which it is presented.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting story with just enough detail
Review: I'm not a jazz "expert." The jazz I like tends to be older, such as Miles, Brubeck, Coltrane, and Horace Silver. I picked up this history of Blue Note after seeing it reviewed in Rolling Stone, and I was not disappointed. It's a great story of the classic age of jazz! There are great sketches of dozens of major artists, and the story of the company itself is fascinating, including how they got the Blue Note "sound" in the studio. If what you want is an exhaustive list cross-referencing every session drummer and bass player, this isn't it. But if you want to get the sound and feel for what it must have been like at those 3 AM sessions, this is a great book.

Rating:
Summary: cool jazz and hot licks
Review: man this book sent me back to the age of the village gate and the 5 spot and uptown downtown scene when everybody wore a hat and smoked luckies. cool.

Rating:
Summary: A Poor History and Critical Discography
Review: Richard Cook apologizes in his introduction for the limitations of his text, and well he should, for a reading of the book reveals a paucity of research, both in the available text materials and in the Blue Note Records catalog, both in print and out of print. There are numerous errors and omissions in the history, especially on interesting and revealing items such as how Frank Wolff got to the USA, what he did when he got here, how Alfred Lion met Sidney Bechet, Ike Quebec and Art Blakey and what their various relationships were, what Quebeec did for the label and when, Lion's and Blue Note's relationship with Miles Davis, Monk, Bud Powell, Duke Pearson, ... For a long time jazz enthusiast like myself, these omissions were maddening.
What's worse, it's obvious Cook has not listened to all the Blue Note Records! This is especially true of the out-of-print stuff, such as much of the swingtet material, the 10" stuff that hasn't been released on 12"/CD, etc. His critical judgements are therefore completly flawed-he really does not understand what Blue Note was about and what they produced. He seems to use minimal understanding of Lion's interests in jazz and trends in music (such as the craze arising from Olatunji/Drums of Passion) that explain Blue Note records like the early Dixieland stuff, Art Blakey and Sabu drum fests, Bossa Nova Baccanal (never mentioned), etc.
The great book on Blue Note Records has still to be written.

Rating:
Summary: what a waste
Review: the 6o's Blue note records are some of the greatest recordings, especillay the reissues of Rudy Van Gelder series. Any book has a lot of potential on this topic but the author is clueless-no research, no "where are they now", no inside information. Don't waste your time or money-I've seen liner notes with more insight than this.Buy the music instead.