One Night with Blue Note

One Night with Blue Note
Directed by John Charles Jopson
Produced by Bruce Lundvall
Tammara Wells
Music by Art Blakey
Ron Carter
Jack DeJohnette
Herbie Hancock
Freddie Hubbard
Michel Petrucciani
Jimmy Smith
Stanley Turrentine
McCoy Tyner
Grover Washington, Jr.
Jackie McLean
Distributed by EMI Distribution
Release dates
 1985
Running time
 121 min.
Country United States
Language English

One Night with Blue Note is a 1985 feature length jazz film directed by John Charles Jopson.[1]

To celebrate record executive Bruce Lundvall having relaunched the defunct Blue Note Records label in 1985 under the parent label EMI Manhattan Records, he and music director Michael Cuscuna staged a concert on February 22, 1985 at The Town Hall in New York City, bringing together some of the jazz legends associated with Blue Note over the years as well as some newly signed artists. The concert, featuring more than 30 of the world’s most revered jazz musicians in the form of all-star ensembles, is considered by many to be one of the most important nights in jazz history.

The 3 hour-plus event was shot on 16mm film with multiple cameras. Director Jopson prepared by studying the music from various live recordings, and then, consulting with producer Tammara Wells plus director of photography Martin Pitts and camera operators Ernest Dickerson, Paul Goldsmith and Don Lenser, determined the camera positions. During rehearsals Pitts and long-time associate Lou Tobin designed the lighting for show. The lighting team was joined by the crew from Chorus Line which had just closed on Broadway. The film is known for its intimate close-ups of the musicians, showing their subtle signals to each other and acknowledgment of well-played riffs. The recording was engineered by Mike Moran and David Hewitt with Remote Recording Service's Silver Truck. A four-LP box set One Night with Blue Note Preserved featuring the entire concert was released simultaneously with the film and as separate volumes .

DVD Re-release

A re-release of the film on DVD in 2003 featured some additional performances as well as a new stereo mix and Dolby 5.1 surround sound with new telecine transfers. There was some criticism from reviewers and fans for dropping other performances (by Charles Lloyd, Bennie Wallace and Stanley Jordan) and for some of the re-editing. Also missing is the classic black-and-white opening title sequence in the Blue Note style designed by Jopson and featuring Joe Henderson playing sax on the fire escapes of mid-town Manhattan. Other noteworthy additions to the DVD include the historic black-and-white photos by label co-founder Francis Wolff, and a gallery of memorable Blue Note cover art by designer Reid Miles. Interstitial piano music (underscoring during voiceovers) on the DVD, though not listed in the credits, was provided by jazz pianist Deidre Rodman .

Running time: 121 minutes

Reception

A People magazine review of the original film from December 16, 1985 stated "There is no hype to this film, just musicians standing and sitting around playing music. But what musicians, and what music. Jopson focuses on faces and hands, capturing the joy that surged through what were often strangely formal proceedings."[2] The All About Jazz review of the DVD re-release by Jim Santella stated "Its historical significance cannot be ignored. With positive changes in what we can now accomplish technologically, Blue Note’s highly recommended DVD makes the future of jazz look even brighter".[3]

Performances (DVD)

  1. "Cantaloupe Island" (Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams)
  2. "Recorda-me" (Hubbard, Henderson, Hancock, Carter, Williams, Bobby Hutcherson)
  3. "Little B’s Poem" (Hutcherson, Hancock, Carter, Williams, James Newton)
  4. "Bouquet" (Hancock, Carter, Hutcherson)
  5. "Jumpin' Jack" (Stanley Jordan)
  6. "Summertime" (Grover Washington, Jr., Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate)
  7. "Moanin'" (Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Workman, Art Blakey)
  8. "Sweet and Lovely" (McCoy Tyner)
  9. "Appointment in Ghana" (Woody Shaw, Jackie McLean, Tyner, Cecil McBee, Jack DeJohnette)
  10. "Tone Poem" (Charles Lloyd, Michel Petrucciani, McBee, DeJohnette)
  11. "Blues Walk" (Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Burrell, Tate)
  12. "The Jumpin' Blues" (Stanley Turrentine, Smith, Burrell, Tate)
  13. "Scratch My Back" (Turrentine, Smith, Burrell, Tate)
  14. "Pontos Cantados" (Cecil Taylor)

One Night with Blue Note Preserved (LP & CD)

One Night with Blue Note Preserved
Live album by Various Artists
Released 1985
Recorded February 22, 1985
Genre Jazz
Label Blue Note
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Volume 1
  1. "Cantaloupe Island" (Herbie Hancock) - 10:38
  2. "Recorda Me" (Joe Henderson) - 11:15
  3. "Hat And Beard" (Eric Dolphy) - 7:09
  4. "Little B's Poem" (Bobby Hutcherson) - 8:07
  5. "Bouquet" (Hutcherson) - 7:07
Volume 2
  1. "Broadside" (Bennie Wallace) -
  2. "Sweet and Lovely" (Gus Arnheim, Jules LeMare, Harry Tobias) - 2:46
  3. "Appointment in Ghana" (Jackie McLean) - 7:16
  4. "Passion Dance" (McCoy Tyner) -
  5. "Blues on the Corner" (Tyner) -
  6. "Pontos Cantados: Point 1/Look at the Top of the Stairs/Point 2/Question" (Cecil Taylor) -
Volume 3
  1. "Moanin'" (Bobby Timmons) -
  2. "I'm Glad There Is You" (Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Mertz) -
  3. "Summertime" (George Gershwin) -
  4. "Medley: Blues Walk/Gettin' Sentimental Over You" (Lou Donaldson/George Bassman) -
  5. "The Jumpin' Blues" (Jay McShann, Charlie Parker) - 6:09
  6. "A Child Is Born" (Thad Jones) -
Volume 4
  1. "When You Wish upon a Star" (Ned Washington, Leigh Harline) -
  2. "Jumpin' Jack" (Stanley Jordan) -
  3. "The Blessing" (Charles Lloyd) -
  4. "Tone Poem" (Lloyd) -
  5. "Lady Day" (Lloyd) -
  6. "El Encanto" (Lloyd)
  7. "How Long" (Lloyd) -

References

  1. ↑ One Night with Blue Note IMDb listing
  2. ↑ One Night with Blue Note Film review, December 16, 1985
  3. ↑ Santella, J. One Night with Blue Note DVD review, December 13, 2003
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