Blue Note Celebrates 70th Anniversary

All-star septet slated to embark on 50+-city tour

On Jan. 13, Blue Note Records will commemorate the label's 70th anniversary with the release of "Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records," an eight-song collection of classic Blue Note repertoire re-envisioned by The Blue Note Seven: an all-star septet comprising pianist, musical director, and current Blue Note recording artist Bill Charlap with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, alto saxophonist/flutist Steve Wilson, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. The album is produced by Charlap, Michael Cuscuna and Eli Wolf, and executive produced by Danny Melnick, founder of the event production company Absolutely Live Entertainment, which will be producing The Blue Note 7's extensive 51-city North American tour launching Jan. 7.

Charlap says, "The music that Blue Note recorded is so vast and historically important that there was no way we could be comprehensive in covering the contributions of so many major musicians. We chose to record compositions that would honor the label and its key players, whittling it down to eight of our favorites from Blue Note's wide-ranging and extensive catalog." Charlap hails the wisdom of Blue Note founder Alfred Lion, who launched the label in 1939, for "creating a forum for composers to write music. He trusted them to go ahead and do what they do best."

"The Blue Note 7 is a true collaboration, an all-star band comprised of the next generation of major players, all leaders in their own right," says Bruce Lundvall, president of Blue Note Records, who is also celebrating 25 years since he relaunched the label in 1984 after a hiatus. "They are also the A-list of accomplished arrangers and composers, steeped in the Blue Note tradition, re-imagining this time-honored repertoire in a fresh way."

Blue Note 2009 tour dates:

1/7 Yakima, WA Seasons Performance Hall
1/8 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater
1/10 Eugene, OR The Shedd
1/11 Klamath Falls, OR Ross Ragland Theatre
1/13 Davis, CA UC Davis/Mondavi Center/Jackson Hall
1/14 Napa, CA Napa Valley Opera House
1/15 Berkeley, CA UC Berkeley/Zellerbach Hall
1/16 Beaver Creek, CO Vilar Center for the Arts
1/17 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
1/19 Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz
1/21 Santa Barbara, CA UCSB/Campbell Hall
1/22 Los Angeles, CA UCLA/Royce Hall
1/23-24 Costa Mesa, CA Orange Co. Performing Arts Center
1/27 San Diego, CA Anthology Club
1/28 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center
1/29 Wickenburg, AZ Del E. Webb Center
1/30 Tucson, AZ University of Arizona/Centennial Hall
2/17 Boone, NC Appalachian State Univ./Farthing Auditorium
2/18 Nashville, TN Vanderbilt University/Langford Auditorium
2/20 Kansas City, MO The Gem Theater
2/21 Omaha, NE Holland Performing Arts Center/Kiewit Hall
2/22 St Louis, MO Sheldon Concert Hall
2/24 Meridian, MS Mississippi State University/Riley Center
2/26 Baton Rouge, LA Shaw Center for the Arts/Manship Theatre
2/27 Lafayette, LA Heymann Performing Arts Center
2/28 Birmingham, AL Alys Stevens Center/Jemison Concert Hall
3/1 Germantown, TN Germantown Performing Arts Centre
3/13 Detroit, MI Orchestra Hall/ Max M. Fisher Music Center
3/14 Lexington, KY Singletary Center for the Arts
3/15 Louisville, KY Kentucky Center for Performing Arts
3/16 Chicago, IL Columbia College Chicago (Private Event)
3/18 Norman, OK Sooner Theatre
3/19 Columbia, MO Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts
3/20 Chicago, IL Chicago Symphony Center/Orchestra Hall
3/21 Appleton, WI Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
3/23 Sheboygan, WI Lakeland College/ Bradley Fine Arts Building
3/25 Sioux Falls, SD Orpheum Theater
3/26 Lincoln, NE University of Nebraska/Lied Center
3/27 Ames, IA Iowa State University/ Stephens Auditorium
3/28 Milwaukee, WI Wilson Center for the Arts
3/29 Minneapolis, MN Orchestra Hall
4/1 Worcester, MA Mechanics Hall
4/2 Hanover, NH Dartmouth College/Spaulding Auditorium
4/3 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
4/4 Pittsburgh, PA Manchester Craftmen's Guild
4/5 Washington, DC Kennedy Center/ Terrace Theater
4/6 Princeton, NJ McCarter Theatre Center/ Matthews Theatre
4/8 University Park, PA Penn State University/Eisenhower Auditorium
4/9 Schenectady, NY Proctor's Theatre
4/14-19 New York, NY Birdland

By Carol Archer - radioandrecords.com

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