A really special sort of collection – one that features a fair bit of new material mixed in with some of the key cuts from the Blue Note years of singer Gregory Porter – an artist who started in jazz, but who's clearly had a huge impact on the world of soul music in recent years too! Porter's got a hell of a voice, and a majestic way of presenting his music – as you'll hear on the wide variety of work included here! The first half of the record features four new tracks, a few new arrangements and covers, and some older Blue Note material – titles that include "Dry Bones", "Illusion", "Real Good Hands", "Love Runs Deeper", "It's Probably Me", "No Love Dying", "1960 What", "Concorde", "If Love Is Overrated", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad", and "Bad Girl Love". CD2 features duets – some freshly recorded, others that use studio work to add Porter's voice to now-passed singers – a lineup that includes songs with Jamie Cullum, Ella Fitzgerald, Moby, Julie London, Lalah Hathaway, Lizz Wright, Nat King Cole, Lisa Fischer, Dianne Reeves, and Renee Fleming. ~ Dusty Groove
Norah has been a steady voice of warmth and reassurance for nearly 20 years since her cozy 2002 debut album Come Away With Me became a familiar musical companion for millions of people around the world. Now the 9-time GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist has released I Dream Of Christmas, a delightful and comforting collection of timeless seasonal favorites and affecting new originals that explore the complicated emotions of our times and our hopes that this holiday season will be full of joy and togetherness. “When I was trying to figure out which direction to take, the original songs started popping in my head,” Norah says. “They were all about trying to find the joys of Christmas, catching that spark, that feeling of love and inclusion that I was longing for during the rest of the year.” Among the album’s many pleasures are Norah’s playful reinvention of The Chipmunk’s “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” which is given a languid beat and swaggering horns. Other highlights include sublime versions of “White Christmas,” “Blue Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” and “Run Rudolph Run.” Norah’s version of “The Christmas Waltz” is also available exclusively on Amazon Music as part of their Amazon Originals series.
A really special album from our hometown hero Makaya McCraven – a set that's the drummer's debut on Blue Note, and which also has him bringing that label some of the magic that he's been cooking up for International Anthem! If you know Makaya's other records, you'll know that he works in a blend of jazz instrumentation and editing – a style that's much more sophisticated than previous "jazz remix" modes – as McCraven always has live jazz instrumentation at the core, but then uses editing to rework ideas after the performance. Here, the music is a blend of older classics from the Blue Note catalog, juxtaposed with contributions from Joel Ross on vibes, Jeff Parker and Matt Gold on guitar, Greg Ward on alto, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and De'Sean Jones on tenor and flute – a really well-chosen array of players who flesh out Makaya's ideas in a beautiful way. Titles include "Wail Bait", "Frank's Tune", "Slice Of The Top", "Sunset", "Ecaroh", "Black Rhythm Happening", "Monaco", and "Mr Jin". ~ Dusty Groove
Johnathan Blake—the remarkable Blue Note Records debut by drummer, composer, and bandleader Johnathan Blake—signals shifting tides for a career that’s yet to crest. The album features Blake’s quintet Pentad with alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, keyboardist David Virelles, and bassist Dezron Douglas. Blake has released the third single from the album, “Shakin’ the Biscuits,” a feel-good groove-based tune by Douglas that features a lively dialogue between the five musicians. It follows the previous singles “LLL,” a dedication to drummer Lawrence “Lo” Leathers, and “Homeward Bound (for Ana Grace),” a celebration of the life of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene. Blake assembled Pentad with the intention of composing for a fuller, more chordal sound than his past projects have featured. The result is a wildly intuitive, tight sound that embraces spontaneity and relies on trust. “The name represents us as five individuals coming together for a common cause: trying to make the most honest music as possible,” he says. “I wanted to create a record where people would get inside my head. I want them to see the story I was trying to tell. That’s my hope.”
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