The Night Beat — Blue Note Records Feature

Tune in to The Night Beat with your host Doug Crane on Wednesday, November 10, as he features a few albums on the Blue Note label that share something in common: They were all recorded on November 10. Among them is Larry Young’s “Unity” from 1965, Horace Silver’s “Six Pieces of Silver” (1956), Art Blakey’s “Africaine” (1959), and Clifford Jordan’s “Cliff Craft” (1957).

Organist Larry Young’s “Unity” should be a part of any jazz fan’s collection of Desert Island Discs. It features Elvin Jones (drums) Woody Shaw (trumpet) and Joe Henderson (tenor sax).
Pianist and bandleader Horace Silver’s “Six Pieces of Silver” introduced one of his best-known compositions, “Senor Blues”.

Drummer Art Blakey’s “Africaine” wasn’t released by Blue Note until 1980. It marked the first time new tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter recorded with the Blakey band.

Clifford Jordan’s “Cliff Craft” is a typically solid Blue Note recording featuring the now largely forgotten tenor saxophonist in the company of Sonny Clark (piano) and Art Farmer (trumpet).

And many jazz musicians share November 10th as a birthday. We’ll hear from some of them including flutist Hubert Laws (born 1939), bandleader/arranger Billy May (1916-2004), tenor saxophonist Mark Turner (born 1965), trumpet player/educator Stanton Davis (born 1945), and trumpet player/arranger/composer John La Barbera (born 1945).

Billy May provided the musical backdrop for a number of vocalists including Nat Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and a number of the most significant and best-remembered recordings by Frank Sinatra. And while we mean no offense to the Chairman of the Board, we’ll only be hearing from Nat, Anita, and Ella.

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