The Best Blue Note Album in the World Ever

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Felix Cromey (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna. This is part of Virgin's Best... Ever! series. The Best Blue Note Album in the World Ever may boast a silly title, but it's hard to argue with what's on this double-disc sampler. Not all of the label's greatest artists are here, but everything is representative, showing how hard bop like John Coltrane's "Blue Train" and Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder" coexisted with soul-jazz from Grant Green ("Born to Be Blue"), Jimmy Smith ("Back at the Chickenshack"), and Horace Silver ("Song for My Father"). It is true that US3's "Cantaloop" sounds distinctly out of place here and that the latter-day stuff, no matter how good it is, isn't quite as magical as the classic era, but there's no denying that The Best Blue Note Album in the World Ever provides a lot of bang for the buck. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Q (7/99, p.129) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...A record which demonstrates how rock acts nick from jazz....Notably, however, this 'is' a jazz record and not Jamiroquai or Sade pretending."

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