Ego Ella May, Yazz Ahmed, Theon Cross and more for Blue Note Re:imagined II
Mike Flynn
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
The acclaimed series continues with a second instalment of emerging UK artists reworking classics from the Blue Note back catalogue
The Blue Note Re:imagined series returns in 2022 with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by an exciting line-up of hotly-tipped rising stars from the UK’s jazz, soul and R&B scenes. Arriving off the back of the widespread international success of the first volume, which topped jazz charts around the globe, Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue, balancing the genre’s tradition with its future to reflect the melting pot of talent and diversity within the current scene. Artists on the album include Yazz Ahmed, Nubiyan Twist, Franc Moody, Theon Cross, Daniel Casimir, Cherise, Oscar Jerome, Reuben James, Conor Albert and Binker Golding.
The first track released on 8 June is renowned drummer Chico Hamilton’s ‘The Morning Side Of Love’ as interpreted by south London vocal sensation Ego Ella May - see video below. The track first appeared on Hamilton’s 1975 Blue Note album Peregrinations. Mirroring the understated, laid-back groove of the original whilst showcasing Ella May’s arresting vocals, the track is out today.
Blue Note President Don Was commented on the new line up: “For more than eight decades the artists of Blue Note Records have continually pushed the envelope of contemporary music, and Blue Note Re:imagined II once again honors that legacy by letting the UK’s most creative young artists reinvent the treasures of the Blue Note catalog through their own lens.”
Additional tracks on the album will include funk-pop duo Franc Moody’s version of Donald Byrd’s 'Cristo Redentor’, fast-emerging vocalist Cherise’s take on Norah Jones' ‘Sunrise’, Maya Delilah covering Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon’, which was recorded by Cassandra Wilson on her 1995 Blue Note album New Moon Daughter, Birmingham-born pianist Reuben James’ reimagining of Wayne Shorter’s ballad ‘Infant Eyes’, London tuba player and Sons of Kemet member Theon Cross with a version of the Thelonious Monk/Kenny Clarke composition ‘Epistrophy’, and 9-piece afro-jazz outfit Nubiyan Twist’s fresh spin on Donald Byrd’s 'Through The Noise (Chant 2)’ from his 1963 album A New Perspective.
Additional singles will be released across the coming weeks. The full Blue Note Re:imagined II album will be released on 30 September 2022