Blue Note 517 Items

We are excited to present Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes’ “What Kinda Music” – an astonishing collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines, and one of the most unique and seamlessly original projects of its ilk to date.

Moving fluidly through sleek electronica, avant-garde jazz, vintage hip hop and so much more, Misch and Dayes take you on a journey that is by turns surprising and spontaneous, heady and head spinning, and nothing less than compelling – a singular vision which fuses the DNA of both musicians with spectacular results, as can be seen in the title track, which comes backed by a gorgeously atmospheric video by XX.

Even though the fundamental bones of this project came together very quickly, its actual provenance stretches back much, much farther back, with the pair not only growing up in the same area of South East London, but Misch actually seeing Dayes play on drums in the school talent show for the first time when he was roughly 8 or 9. They both kept tabs on each other – Misch becoming a fan of Dayes’ act Yussef Kamaal, Dayes clocking his videos in 2014 – but it was only when they met at a launch party for Misch’s debut LP “Geography” in 2018 that the proverbial creative sparks began to fly. “As a musician you’re always looking for contemporaries who can push you and challenge you and make you better”, says Dayes. “I instantly felt that with Tom – he was such a gifted musician, and so prolific”. That summer they decided to go into the studio together, jam a little, and see what happens, with no other expectation placed upon it.

As it turns out, the music came fast and furiously. Two initial tracks were suddenly followed by a handful of others, and the pair found themselves contemplating what to do next. “Pretty soon, we knew that something was gelling”, Dayes says. “It didn’t feel like a one-off collaboration, it felt like a body of work”. What made the pair click, according to Misch and Dayes, were the exact same factors that meant it shouldn’t, by all rights, work. Misch says, “Yussef comes from a more experimental background, and he has a lot of loose, crazy ideas. I know how to write a catchy melody, but with interesting chords and have a good understanding of popular song forms, so I think I streamlined those ideas and made them accessible”. And certainly, in “What Kinda Music” you can sense the DNA of both musicians, but fusing so effortlessly and beautifully that it creates something else entirely, the appropriately named “Lift Off” sending goosebumps with its jazz flecked crescendo, and “Night Rider” hynotising with its deeply mesmeric grooves. “I have a love for harmony and chords”, Misch adds. “Working with someone like Yussef, who has such a gifted sense of rhythm allowed a perfect balance”.

Throughout the record, there is an utterly joyful feel of two musicians at the top of their game sparking off one another, picking up ideas and running with them – zigging where the other zags, ebbing where the other flows, with Misch producing the majority of the record and both having a hand in the overall sound and feel of the record.

“Working with Yussef has actually changed the way I work as a musician”, Misch muses. “He’s pushed me and unlocked a more experimental part of me that I hadn’t really allowed myself to explore before. I think we really did impact each other in a fundamental way”. Dayes is similarly effusive in his praise for Misch. “A musician like him, who’s at the top of his game, he doesn’t need to do this”, he raves. “He can just keep doing the same thing and why not? He’s killing it. The fact that he’s so humble, that he’s so curious about everything and open to collaboration, speaks a lot to him as an artist, because it’s not easy finding musicians who want to collaborate. Something always gets in the way, whether it’s ego or their team or whatever. But with Tom it felt like the intention was purely creative, and that’s what made it exciting”. In fact, Dayes says that the intentions of the record go even deeper than just music. “Both our parents who’d never met each other before, are now best friends as a result of this, they now see each other more than we do! I’d like to think, in some small way, that this album has a similar impact for people too – everything feels so divided these days, it would be nice for people to hear the record and hear two very different musicians coming together and realise it doesn’t have to be that way”.

Tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana's third Blue Note album, Filin, is an exquisite ballads album that presents stunning new versions of songs drawn from the Filin music tradition of Cuba, a style of popular song from the 1940s-60s that was deeply influenced by American musicians such as Nat King Cole. The album title is a homophone with the word feelin' and the deeply felt performances find Aldana with a remarkable quartet featuring the Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba with Peter Washington on bass and Kush Abadey on drums, as well as special guest vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant on two tracks. The band also interprets songs by Brazilian composers Hermeto Pascoal (''Little Church'') and Cartola (''Las Rosas No Hablan'').

Stanley Turrentine's 1966 album "Easy Walker" was right in the soulful tenor saxophonist's sweet spot with Mr. T fronting a versatile quartet with McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums. The engaging set featured hard-grooving numbers, sultry ballads, and a version of Burt Bacharach's "What The World Needs Now Is Love." This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The sound of Blue Note has been embedded in hip-hop through sampling and remixes since its early days but Madlib raised the bar when the DJ, producer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist invaded the Blue Note vaults for his 2003 masterpiece Shades of Blue, a visionary album featuring remixes and reimaginations of classics by Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter and more.

“Madlib’s amazing remixes and re-imaginings of classic Blue Note tunes is aural cinema, … and in common with so many remixers and hip-hop artists he clearly loves the catalogue. The inventiveness of this record aside it is also as groovy as heck.” — Uncompromising Expression, Richard Havers

This new edition of the album “Shades of Blue”, a Madlib homage to the Blue Note label, is being released to mark the 20th anniversary.

Kenny Dorham's sublime 1956 live album is presented in full on the 2CD and 3-LP Tone Poet Vinyl Edition of "The Complete 'Round About Midnight At The Cafe Bohemia" featuring the trumpeter with J.R. Monterose, Kenny Burrell, Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, and Arthur Edgehill.

Produced by Joe Harley, mastered directly from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray, the 180g vinyl is packaged in a deluxe tip-on trifold jacket. 2CD and 3LP versions come with a booklet featuring never-before-seen Francis Wolff photos and an essay by Syd Schwartz.

Donald Byrd’s 1975 album Places and Spaces featuring the hits “Wind Parade” and “Dominoes” was the culmination of the great trumpeter’s fusion period.

It was the fifth consecutive Byrd album to be produced by visionary producer Larry Mizell, and the second to last session Byrd would cut for Blue Note, the label he had recorded for since 1958 that had followed him along his remarkable evolution from top-notch hard bop trumpeter to pioneer of R&B/Funk fusion.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Domi & JD Beck release their highly anticipated debut album Not Tight on Anderson.Paak's new label, Apeshit Inc in partnership with Blue Note Records. Featuring special guests Anderson.Paak, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, the album exemplifies their trailblazing take on jazz. The New York Times hailed them as simultaneously "freakishly complex and virtuosic" and "relentlessly melodic."

Stepping Into Tomorrow by Donald Byrd, released 18 July 2025. This version of Stepping Into Tomorrow comes as a 1xLP.

Trumpeter Blue Mitchell’s soulful, swinging style embodied the Blue Note ethos and his 1964 debut for the label "The Thing To Do" showcased his sound across a diverse set of tunes from hard bop to ballads to Calypso with an exceptional quintet featuring Junior Cook on tenor saxophone, Chick Corea on piano, Gene Taylor on bass, and Al Foster on drums. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Trumpeter Lee Morgan was just 19 years old and still early on in his lengthy Blue Note association when he cut his brightly swinging 1957 album, City Lights, featuring Curtis Fuller, George Coleman, Ray Bryant, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor. The set includes 3 compositions by Morgan's mentor Benny Golson. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Dexter Gordon's second Blue Note album "Dexter Calling," recorded in 1961, solidified the tenor saxophonist's career rebirth with a joyous return to form. Dexter holds forth at the helm of a quartet with Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones moving nimbly from hard-charging swing to stunning balladry.

BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a gatefold sleeve with deluxe tip-on jacket.

McCOY TYNER - ASANTE (BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION) McCoy Tyner had been increasingly looking to Africa for inspiration on his Blue Note records of the late-60s. With 1970's Asante he brought those influences to the fore with the swirling percussive rhythmic bed of Billy Hart and Mtume, along with Buster Williams, Ted Dunbar, Andrew White and the vocals of Songai. This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.

The avant-jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood - John Medeski on keys, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass - returned to their acoustic roots on the freewheeling 1999 live album Tonic recorded at the intimate Lower East Side NYC venue. The set featured the trio's own adventurous originals alongside covers of songs by Lee Morgan, Bud Powell, John Coltrane, and Jimi Hendrix. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. 2-LP set.

John Scofield's quartet with tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano was one of the premier modern jazz groups of the 1990s and the guitarist's second Blue Note album, Meant To Be, put all the band's firepower and nuanced musicality on full display with an 11-song set of Scofield originals, featuring bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. 2-LP set.

Guitar virtuoso Julian Lage returns with his fifth Blue Note release, Scenes From Above, the follow-up to the GRAMMY-nominated Speak To Me, which was once again produced by Joe Henry. The album features Lage in a new band with John Medeski on organ and piano, Jorge Roeder on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums for a set of striking new original compositions.180g black vinyl.

Time and troubles seem to melt away during the fifteen enrapturing minutes of “Idle Moments,” the opening track of Grant Green’s sublime 1963 album of the same name. As the piece unhurriedly unfurls all the unique colours of the ensemble present themselves with Green’s soulful guitar joined by Duke Pearson’s elegant piano, Bobby Hutcherson’s crystalline vibraphone, Bob Cranshaw’s reassuring upright bass, Al Harewood’s subtle drums, and Joe Henderson’s magnificent tenor saxophone. The pace quickens for the rest of this tremendous set including the nimble Green original “Jean de Fleur,” a bluesy take on John Lewis’ MJQ standard “Django,” and a driving performance of Pearson’s original “Nomad.”

Even by the high-water marks set by Herbie Hancock’s tremendous 1960s Blue Note output, 1965’s Maiden Voyage remains one of the pinnacle artistic achievements of the great pianist’s career. Hancock is joined here by his Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums, along with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor saxophone. The quintet embarks on an oceanic exploration of five original Hancock compositions, several of which have since become enduring standards of the jazz lexicon including the title track, “Eye of the Hurricane,” and “Dolphin Dance.” This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Dexter Gordon had been living in Europe for several years when he recorded One Flight Up, one of his acknowledged masterpiece albums, in Paris in June of 1964. It’s all here: Dexter’s magnificently huge sound, Donald Byrd in peak form on trumpet, the subtle sophistication of pianist Kenny Drew, the utter brilliance of the then-teenaged bass phenom Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, and the rock-steady swing of drummer Art Taylor. The opening track “Tanya” takes up the entire first side of this album at 18+ minutes, and it is a performance for the ages. Blue Note Records’ Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series is produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio), and vinyl is manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).