Blue Note. Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939

The official illustrated history of Blue Note, the most influential and important brand in jazz

Blue Note is not only known as the purveyor of extraordinary jazz but is also famous as an arbiter of cool. The superb photography of co-founder Francis Wolff and the cover designs of Reid Miles were integral to the label’s success and this highly illustrated publication – featuring the very best photographs, covers and ephemera from the archives, including never-before-published material – commemorates Blue Note’s momentous contribution to jazz, to art and design, and to the music business.

Tracing the evolution of jazz from the boogie-woogie and swing of the 1930s, through bebop, funk and fusion, to the eclectic mix Blue Note releases today, the book also narrates a complex social history from the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany to the developments in music and technology in the late 20th century. Celebrating over eight decades of extraordinary music, this book demonstrates how Blue Note has stayed true to its founders’ commitment to ‘Uncompromising Expression’.

'Richard Havers’s book about Blue Note records, with its details of the inspirations and excesses of the label’s major talents, amounts to a history of jazz itself'
Guardian

'Sumptuous, opulent, definitive ... a dream come true for Blue Note fans and will appeal to anyone who has more than the most fleeting interest in jazz'
London Jazz News

'For fellow worshippers at the shrine of Blue Note, Havers’s book is the closest thing they’ll find to holy scripture aside from the records themselves'
Prospect Magazine

'Blue Note finally gets the book it deserves'
Jazzwise

About the Author

Richard Havers was a British music author, journalist, consultant and broadcaster. He was the author of over fifty books, including Rolling Stones 50 and Verve: The Sound of America, both published by Thames & Hudson.