Third Man Records and Blue Note have partnered to bring forth their 313 series of recordings by Detroit artists. The partnership showcases Thad Jones’ Detroit-New York Junction, Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd, Elvin Jones’ Genesis, Kenny Cox and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet’s Multidirection, and Grant Green’s Live At Club Mozambique. All of the albums have been remastered and will be available in multi-color vinyl. Thad Jones’ Detroit-New York Junction and Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd come out on July 21st. Elvin Jones’ Genesis and Kenny Cox and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet’s Multidirection follow on September 22nd. Grant Green’s Live At Club Mozambique has a release date of November 3rd. The albums can be pre-ordered now via Third Man and Blue Note. Don Was, who is the president of Blue Note Records and a native Detroiter, shared the importance of the partnership and collection in a press release. 

“There’s no better way for us to celebrate the abundance of Detroit talent on the Blue Note roster than this 313 collaboration with our hometown brothers and sisters at Third Man Records. Spin your turntables, close your eyes, and listen as the sweet analog sounds of Detroit Jazz roll thru your mind like the cool, clear waters of the River Rouge.”

The five albums are a good introduction to Detroit’s jazz history that goes as far back as the 1920s. 

 

 

 

Madlib’s Shades Of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note album was a rare opportunity for the producer to remix and reinterpret music from the label’s catalog. Bobbi Humphrey recorded “Please Put Me At Ease” for her 1975 album Fancy Dancer. The flutist made jazz and funk amicably meet each other with the help of The Mizell Brothers. In the hands of Madlib, the beats are denser and rapper M.E.D. adds his verses to the mix. Malib made M.E.D.’s rap and the groove the nucleus of a sampled and  revamped “Please Put Me At Ease.” The musical conversation that started with Humphrey in the ’70s and others like Roy Ayers was answered by hip-hop again in 2003. Blue Note’s decision to give Madlib access to their catalog introduced the legendary jazz label to a new generation. Shades Of Blue was a slick history lesson and Madlib’s answer to Humphrey was another bridge between hip-hop and jazz. Madlib’s Sound Ancestors album was released in 2021.