Blue Note Records continues its 75th anniversary celebrations with a very special concert this Friday at LPR. Together with leading jazz station WBGO, the label is presenting the only East Coast appearance by Our Point of View, a supergroup featuring six of the most exciting and innovative artists currently on the Blue Note roster.
 
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and saxophonist Marcus Strickland will perform music from their own catalogs, as well as new spins on Blue Note classics. (When the group played the Monterey Jazz Festival earlier this year they opened “with a hypnotic 18-minute version of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Witchcraft’ (with a little of Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ blended in),” according to Downbeat.
 
Get ready for Friday’s show by listening to this Spotify playlist compiled by Blue Note (follow this link for other streaming options: http://smarturl.it/OurPointOfView)
 

 
Also, check out this video about Our Point of View and their trip to the Monterey Jazz Festival back in September:
 

 
And here’s a bit more from Downbeat‘s review of their Monterey performance:
 
“This forward-looking group wasn’t afraid to go beyond whatever might be thought of as the Blue Note sound. Scott’s drums at times carried a dubby echo, and Hodge’s powerful “Message Of Hope” was framed by Loueke’s haunting, pathos-filled guitar atmospherics.
 
There was old-fashioned blowing, too, as heard on Akinmusire’s impassioned a capella introduction to his composition “Henya” or on Strickland’s volcanic declaration of the opening melody. Loueke played a strong utility role, adding invaluable vocals to “Message Of Hope” and “Bayyinah.”
 
Don’t miss this rare chance to catch Our Point of View this Friday 12/12 at LPR. Get your tickets now!
 
posted by John