Various Artists - Blue Break Beats, Vol. 3 (1996)

BLUE SERIES MONTH (FEBRUARY, 2025)

One of three follow-up releases to Volume 1, which spotlights songs from the Blue Note vaults that have since been sampled for various tracks. Chicago's most excellent record store Dusty Groove writes that

the music here is very strongly oriented in the mode of "breaks," or tracks that were sampled for later hip hop and club recordings -- classic jazz tunes from the glory days of Blue Note that have gone onto live again, thanks to the keen ears and inventive work of more contemporary DJs and producers. After all these years, The Blue Break Beats series still stands as one of the best illustrations of the funkier side of the label..."

Back in the '90s, many of these funky soul-jazz tracks had not yet been released on CD, so they were seeing digital release for the first time on these compilations. As one would expect, there's at least a few bars in each cut that can easily be sampled and repeated, but taken as a whole, it's a groovy compilation.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks, with links to whosampled.com and my favorites indicated (and I very easily could have checked every track):

1. Walk Tall - Cannonball Adderley ✔
   From the 1967 album, 74 Miles Away/Walk Tall
2. You've Made Me So Very Happy - Lou Rawls
   From the 1970 album, You've Made Me So Very Happy
3. Ode To Billie Joe - Lou Donaldson
   From the 1967 album, Mr. Shing-A-Ling
4. Sho-Nuff Mellow - Reuben Wilson ✔
   From the 1971 album, Set Us Free
5. Howlin' For Judy - Jeremy Steig
   From the 1970 album, Legwork
6. Light My Fire - Shirley Bassey ✔
   From the 1970 album, Something
7. It's Your Thing - Lou Donaldson ✔
   From the 1969 album, Hot Dog
8. Put On Train - Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
   From the 1971 album, Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
9. Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey - Gene Harris
   From the 1974 album, Astralsignal
10. Dominoes - Donald Byrd ✔
    From the 1975 album, Places And Spaces
11. Mystic Brew - Ronnie Foster ✔
    From the 1972 album, Two Headed Freap
12. Get Out Of My Life Woman - Joe Williams with Thad Jones & Mel Lewis
    From the 1966 album, Presenting Joe Williams And Thad Jones - Mel Lewis, The Jazz Orchestra
13. Ground Hog - Duke Pearson
    From the 1968 album, Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band
14. Soul - Jackie McLean
    From the 1968 album, 'Bout Soul

Previously revisited for the blog:

Blue Bacharach (1999)	Capitol Rare (1999)
Blue Brazil (1999)	Capitol Rare Vol 2 (1999)
Jump Blue (1999)	Capitol Rare Vol 3 (1999)
Blue Beat (1991)	Blue Bossa (1991)
Blue Boogie (1999)	Blue Bossa Vol 2 (1999)
Blue Series Sampler (2001)	Midnight Blue (1999)
Blue Valentines (1999)	Blue Movies (1999)
So Blue So Funky (1991)	Blue 'N' Groovy Vol 2 (1999)
So Blue So Funky Vol 2 (1994)	California Cool (1993)
Blue Break Beats (1992)	Blue 'N' Soul (2001)
	Blue '70s (2000)