Presented by PDX Jazz Festival
BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES is a revelatory, thrilling, and emotional journey behind the scenes of the iconic label - home to groundbreaking artists such as Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey, and present day luminaries like Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Norah Jones.
Through rare archival footage, conversations with the artists and recording sessions where living legends Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter come together with next-generation musicians, the film reveals a powerful mission, offers an intimate window into the creative process, and illuminates the vital connections between jazz and hip hop.
Tracing decades of history, the film celebrates the core values that jazz embodies - freedom of expression, equality, and dialogue - values that are just as relevant today as they were when the label was founded in 1939 by German Jewish refugees Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff.
"A Smart, Exhilarating Look at an Influential Label …This tidy, thoughtful film gets at jazz’s joy and pain."—The New York Times
