Various Artists - Blue Note Perfect Takes (2004)

"Legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder selects his favorite Blue Note recordings from the RVG series."

To be honest, I grabbed this disc out of a used bin without even checking the track list. With that title, it's gotta be good, right? Well, it is, of course, but I already owned over half the titles on other compilations or the source albums and there was room left for few more selections here. But the disc comes with a bonus DVD, so there's that. However, for a Blue Note primer compilation that features songs that aren't necessarily the most well-known from the label, you could do much worse. (If you're looking for the more popular cuts, I suggest the 1999 double-disc compilation, The Best Blue Note Album in the World...Ever!)

Liner notes for this 2004 compilation written by Van Gelder himself.

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

CD Tracks (10 tracks, 56 minutes):

1. Thelonious Monk - Four In One, originally released on a 10" single b/w Straight No Chaser (1952)
2. Miles Davis - Budo, from the 1957 album Birth Of The Cool
3. Hank Mobley - Remember, from the 1960 album Soul Station
4. Freddie Hubbard - Arietis, from the 1962 album Ready For Freddie
5. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue, from the 1963 album Midnight Blue
6. Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe, from the 1966 album Mode For Joe
7. Donald Byrd - Christo Redentor, from the 1964 album A New Perspective
8. Wayne Shorter - Footprints, from the 1967 album Adam's Apple
9. Art Blakey - Moon River, from the 1963 album Buhaina's Delight
10. Jimmy Smith - See See Rider, from the 1961 album Home Cookin'

DVD:

• 25 minute video featuring an interview with Van Gelder
• Biographies of Van Gelder plus the 10 artists featured on the CD
• A written history of the Blue Note label
• Advertisement for Blue Note t-shirts for sale
• 52 photos taken by Francis Wolff of various recording sessions (prints also for sale)

Nothing essential here, especially since all the historical and biographical is now readily available online and the video is now on YouTube (note: this CD/DVD was released in 2004; YouTube launched a year later). The video is good, not great - mainly interview clips with Van Gelder and producer Michael Cuscuna interspersed with photo/music montages - but I enjoyed hearing Van Gelder speak about his work with all labels, including Prestige, Verve, and CTI. And if you're interested in t-shirts and/or photo prints, they're still available at https://store.bluenote.com/ I currently have neither t-shirt nor print, but I was given a sweet Blue Note hoodie last year so I can continue my quest to be an aging hipster.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None