Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

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Torin F BEYOND THE NOTES is a fine Blue Note documentary that weaves the work of the label's contemporary luminaries together with an engaging review of its storied past. More on the label's seminal years would be welcome, as would some focus on the downtown NYC scene of the 90's, including Medeski Martin & Wood, but that's the challenge with Blue Note: the label's history and legacy is incredibly deep. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review susan j Just saw this film - here's my review: It's challenging making a documentary about music, particularly something perceived to be esoteric--as is jazz. Those of us who love jazz would be happy to geek out on it for the 75 minutes that this film runs. However, the challenge lies in aiming to make a film that is widely accessible and acceptable to a general audience. My belief is that you can make a deep detailed geeky film about jazz, and also draw in additional viewers--in part because the music itself is so tremendously compelling, as are and were the cast of characters recording for (and running) Blue Note---compelling enough to pique the curiosity and interest of the casual jazz fan or the completely uninitiated. This documentary, however, is sort of a tease. It contains marvelous archival footage (Thelonius Monk giving instructions on what to play and how to his ensemble, Wayne Shorter as a shy young man and youthful Herbie Hancock---and the 2 of them now, trading jests and playing live with young musicians, PeeWee Russell, Miles cracking jokes), and the commentary is rich, but the overall effort is superficial--lacking depth--seeming to try too hard to bring in a broad audience and not trusting the content, the stories, the music, the visuals, the personalities to engage viewers enough to know that going deeper wouldn't lose the audience. It also seemed awkward in its efforts to build a case about hip hop being the next jazz and therefore relevant to the future--perhaps some funding hung in the balance predicated upon making that point. But that narrative seemed bolted on, and interjected throughout the film as an afterthought, making the entire piece somewhat choppy and discontinuous---and not in a cool way, like bebop. I gave it 4/5* because the subject matter and artists (and founders of Blue Note---and even Don Was) deserve it. It's probably more like a 4* for general audiences. I just also would have appreciated more complex and detailed treatment of the music and recording sessions themselves. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A great documentary on a music label that was art driven, not profit driven... and we all the better for it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member A documentary on Blue Note records with no mention of Jimmy Smith?!?! Ridiculous!!! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I cannot say enough about this documentary. It absolutely blew me away and gave me an insight into the early stages of Blue Note. Don’t want to ruin anything so please do yourself a favor and go see this film before it’s out of theaters. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/03/19 Full Review Read all reviews

Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

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