The so-called hard bop of the mid- 50s in New York essentially began with a Blue Note album, Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. What hard bop did was to draw on rural blues and gospel music in finding a whole new audience for jazz.
The idea for a group to carry forth the tribute during Blue Note's 70th year originated with booking agent Jack Randall, and was formed by musical director
Bill Charlap, Randall, and Danny Melnick. When plans for the extensive tour reached more than 50 American cities, the idea of a recording was inevitable.
The Blue Note 7 was not conceived as an all-star group but it is stellar in stature. It is more than a tribute band, a cadre with a cohesive compatibility, dealing with powerful music and reinterpreting it through their new arrangements and individual solos.
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