DeepDiscountCD.com

Our Point Of View on CD

2017 two CD release. Blue Note All-Stars is a supergroup that celebrates the vitality of Blue Note by looking ahead and assembling the label's leading artists who steadfastly continue to move jazz forward. Featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, the album also boasts a special guest appearance by Blue Note legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, and is dedicated to the memory of beloved longtime Blue Note President Bruce Lundvall, who passed away in 2015. The song list includes originals by each of the band members, including two elegies for Lundvall which open and close the album, as well as two renderings of Shorter compositions: an expansive version of "Witch Hunt," from Shorter's 1965 Blue Note classic Speak No Evil, and a stunning performance of "Masquelero" on which the sextet is augmented by Shorter and Hancock.