Customer Reviews

Blue Note Plays the Beatles

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The arrangements of these songs are perfect. If you are looking for a jazz CD with nice melodies that is not too heavy or that won't put you to sleep, I think you'll enjoy this one. You know the songs. The musicians put a nice spin on the tunes without hacking them up. Especially nice is the arrangement of "A Day In The Life".

"Blue Note Plays the Beatles" is a good set that will please both jazz fans & Beatle fans -- and there are a lot of both! :) All of these tracks have been previously released. Recorded in 1964, Stanley Turrentine grooves delightfully on one of the Fab Four's early tunes "Can't Buy Me Love." This is a smashing opener to this set. Buddy Rich's 1967 version of "Norwegian Wood" states the melody with a huge brass section before taking off on a series of improvisations. Chet Baker's honey-drenched flugelhorn and Bud Shank's sexy sax are front & center on this 1967 version of "Hello Goodbye." One of the most successfully experimental treatments of the Beatles' tune is on Grant Green's 1970 reading of "A Day in the Life" with Green's funky guitar re-creating the now familiar melody. Stanley Jordan similarly explores the elasticity of the "Eleanor Rigby" melody with his guitar and Sammy Figueroa's percussion. Holly Cole stays close to the melody on her vocals of "I've Just Seen A Face," but looses some of the urgency of love that made the original so riveting. Bobby McFerrin's 1988 recording of "Drive My Car" is an utter delight with his acappella version of this excellent tune. Blue Note has done an excellent job of remastering these recordings spanning a 32-year period, making them seem to fit together as a seamless collection. Enjoy!

This is what you can have when you combine great material (Beatle tunes), with great innovators!!! Love this album!

Take a listen to the samples and you'll soon discover Fab-4 creations with no soul, no feeling, no phrasing, and no love. All you need is love and this album has none.