Why Blue Mitchell Was Different

What’s going on everybody — welcome to another deep dive into the great artists of bebop & hard bop! This week we’re digging into one of the baddest, funkiest abd again undertated masters to ever come out of the bebop tradition — the great Blue Mitchell! Blue Mitchell has always been one of my favorite trumpet players, but in a different kind of way. Of course he had all the intellectual and technical aspects of the music completely together — sharp articulation, perfect time feel, strong bebop roots, unique phrasing — but what really separates Blue for me is HOW he played. He could play perfect and pretty bebop with the best of them, and make the music groove in a way that made you want to move. In this episode we check out: 🎶 Blue Soul 🎶 Horace Silver classics like “How Did It Happen” and “Filthy McNasty” 🎶 Blue’s evolution as a bandleader on “Tones for Joan’s Bones” with a young Chick Corea 🎶 Stories from Orrin Keepnews about Blue’s early Riverside sessions and the legendary Miles Davis “Nardis” session We also dive into why Blue Mitchell was the perfect fit for Horace Silver’s band — a musician who could truly play BOTH bebop and groove. One of the most complete trumpet players in jazz history. Also — definitely go check these records out on your own. Because of YouTube copyright rules I can’t play too much of the music here, but these recordings absolutely deserve a deep listen from beginning to end. If you’d like to support the channel and help us keep these episodes coming: ☕ https://ko-fi.com/tobeornottobop To be or not to bop… That is the question 🎺 #BlueMitchell #JazzTrumpet #HardBop #SoulJazz #Bebop #HoraceSilver #JazzHistory #JazzMusic #BlackMusic #BlackExcellence #BlackArt #BlackCulture #AfricanDiaspora #JazzLegacy #JazzEducation #TrumpetPlayer #JazzMusician #Soulful #Groove #InThePocket #NowSpinning #VinylCommunity #JazzRecords #ClassicJazz #ToBeOrNotToBop