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Feature | BLUE NOTE NOW! | Chapter 3: "Where is Blue Note Heading?" Gallery
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Feature | BLUE NOTE NOW! | Chapter 3: "Where is Blue Note Heading?" Gallery

<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong>
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> Don Was (left) and Hitoshi Namekata
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “Actually, Don is almost the same generation as me. Our generation spent our formative years in the 1960s, and jazz and rock were mixed together without clear distinction,” says Namekata. “The 1960s in my hometown of Detroit were my youth. As you said, I loved The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, and listened to them often, but at the same time, my friends and I were drawn to Blue Note records,” says Was.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “I admired everything – not just the music, but the cool artwork, the cigarettes in the photos, the saxophones, the black walls… I wanted to be like a Blue Note musician.I spent my youth with those feelings,” says Was.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “I heard that the album that first blew you away was Joe Henderson’s Blue Note record, ‘Mode for Joe.’ And you didn’t know about Jimi Hendrix or Queen until a friend told you later?” asks Namekata. “Yes. So, I never dreamed that 45 years later, I would be leading Blue Note,” says Was.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “You joined Blue Note about a year ago, right?” asks Namekata. “Yes, it was January 2012, so it’s been about a year and a half. When I started working at Blue Note, the first thing I thought about was how to continue protecting the brilliance of those records that I was so passionate about. I had to think deeply about what we could do now, in 2013,” says Was.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> Jose James, who performed.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “Thinking about what we can do now, I realized we need to continue presenting the approach of records and musicians who have always pushed boundaries. Welcoming exciting young musicians like Jose James is one of the first things we’ve tackled,” says Don Was. “Jose James is a jazzman who will lead the future. We’ve gained a truly wonderful artist,” says Namekata. “Thankfully, people around the world have been receptive to my style, which mixes various genres. And more than anything, they seem happy about my new relationship with Blue Note,” says James.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “Jose, you also write songs, not just sing, right?” asks Namekata. “Yes, I write songs too. While my music might ultimately be jazz, I use contemporary beats, like hip-hop. I hope my music can be an entry point for young people to listen to jazz,” says James.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> “I feel like Jose brings a fresh wind to jazz. One last thing. I heard you also produce?” asks Namekata. “Actually, there’s a Japanese trumpeter named Takuya Kuroda who’s also on tour with me. We’ve been working together for about three to four years. I’m currently recording his album in New York. I’m thinking of releasing it on Blue Note Records…” says James. “Really? Is Don okay with that?” asks Namekata. “Yes. We just finalized the contract (laughs),” says Was.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda is in the back right.
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> Jose James (left) and Don Was
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong> Emily King (left) and Jose James
<strong>Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW!</strong>

Feature: BLUE NOTE NOW! - Chapter 3: Where is Blue Note Heading? Gallery

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