Jeff, nice work! I really identify with this review. From the first note of Bobbi Humphrey's "You make me feel so good" to the last one on CD2 was an awesome audible experience. But my favorite is Horace Silver's "I had a little talk." As a jazz singer, I will be using that one! I am glad your CD Trade Group branched out to opportunities to review. So far I have really enjoyed our groups' reviews. Check out my Digable Planet review when you get a minute. Peace.

-mikol

... another great 'Blue Note Trip: Lookin' Back & Movin' On’ review from a Giant Step contributor.

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Jazzanova – ‘Blue Note Trip: Lookin' Back & Movin' On’ (Blue Note Records)

It must be a surreal experience to pick up the phone and hear Blue Note Records on the other end… wanting you to touch their revered catalog with your personal style and skills. Madlib got called to the front line and his response was a modern masterpiece. One would guess the six members of the German DJ/Producer collective Jazzanova had that same sense of awe when their turn came up. The 2 disc mixed set, Blue Note Trip: Lookin' Back and Moving On based solely on the Blue Note catalog definitely is a work of art in combining the right cuts with deft transitions to keep the listeners engaged from the first note to the last.

You can't be on Giant Step and not know Jazzanova. Their remixes are a staple here. Their DJ sets are legendary for their eclectic mix of every kind of dance-inspired music spanning several decades. That being said, they are well versed in the Blue Note's acclaimed body of work. Still, to pare that vast catalog down into the 25 gems that cohesively meld into these 2 discs speaks volumes on their ability to mix the perfect audio cocktail; in this case it's like a classic martini, mixed just right, going down nice and smooth.

Disc 1, Lookin' Back initially flows through a few soul jazz cuts including the oft covered Think Twice by Donald Byrd. It quickly grabs your hand and leads you to the dance floor with the Afro-Cuban inspired Congalegra by Horace Parlan. Several floor-movin' tracks later you are meandering home to Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage and watch the Sunday morning sunrise with Freddie Hubbard's Blue Spirits.

Disc 2, Moving On, is much more mellow set, allowing you to take in your Sunday morning in a myriad of relaxing ways. Chico Hamilton's Morning Side of Love soothes and Horace Silver's Nobody Knows just melts the troubles away. Coffee and the Sunday funnies never had a more perfect sonic backdrop.

Jazzanova did not rely heavily on Blue Note stellar staples to create this gem. Much time spent digging, listening and compiling more obscure pieces that complement each other, even when the transitions to different forms of jazz occur is quite obvious. This is a true Blue Note classic. All the traditional elements are intact; black and white photos, extensive liner notes, album cover pages, the works all befitting this significant addition to the legendary label's catalog.

If money fails you for a real vacation this fall, be sure that the journey this Blue Note Trip will take you on is money well spent.


Reviewed by Giant Step contributor Jeff Green (Gotbeatzzz)
October 2005
View Gotbeatzzz profile: www.giantstep.net