Legendary record labels to release new jazz album featuring South London artists

Two legendary record labels have joined forces to release an album of classic jazz songs featuring an array of South London artists.

Blue Note Re:imagined, to be released by Decca Records and Blue Note on October 2, is a new collection of classic Blue Note tracks brought together for the first time, reworked and re-recorded by a selection of the jazz scene’s most exciting young talents today.

Representing a bridge between the ground-breaking label’s past and future, the project will feature contributions from a roll call of internationally acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B acts from South London including Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Steam Down and Poppy Ajudha.

Blue Note, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2019, boasts an illustrious catalogue that traces the entire history of jazz and the Re:imagined project features music originally created by some of its most legendary artists.

Ezra Collective, a five-piece jazz band, said: “For us, Blue Note encapsulates everything that jazz is. Everchanging, ever-moving with times and always swinging. Across the decades it’s been a constant source of inspiration, so to contribute to that is a dream come true.

“Footprints was a song we learnt as teenagers, and a song we’ve haven’t left alone since. It felt the perfect opportunity to pay homage to a hero of ours, Wayne Shorter, as well as document the journey we’ve made as a band since then.”

The new jazz scene has enjoyed mainstream recognition over the last few years after crossing over with various other genres including grime, trap, afrobeat and hip-hop, Blue Note says this album reflects this melting pot of diversity and shines a light on an energetic, free-flowing movement that continues to flourish.

Blue Note president Don Was said: “The music of Blue Note Records owes its enduring relevance to the fact that throughout its 81-year history the artists on the label consistently pushed the envelope of contemporary music.

“Blue Note Re:imagined continues that tradition by viewing the label’s legacy through the lens of the UK scene’s most inventive young artists.”