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Artists with longest runs at Blue Note


Milestones

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Just wondering if we can get some exact numbers on long runs on Blue Note, especially continuous runs.

I believe Horace Silver is usually regarded as having the longest run, at 25 years. During that time he barely recorded for anyone else, and certainly he is completely identified with the label--the quintessential Blue Note artist.

I don't hear that much about Lou Donaldson, who managed about 24 years straight.

In recent times, Joe Lovano arguably did 26 years straight, though his last was an archive live record with Hank Jones; so it's probably more accurate to say 23 years.

Or we could just look at it differently--highest number of leader dates for Blue Note.  A good example would be Jimmy Smith, whose first run with BN was only about 7 years; but he sure cranked out some records.

 

  

  

Edited by Milestones
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I wonder if Lou Donaldson would be the highest number as leader, given his long run and the fact that he put out 2 and sometimes 3 records per year.  Silver was a little more judicious by comparison.

Grant Green, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, and Jimmy Smith recorded like maniacs, but they had shorter careers at Blue Note than Donaldson and Silver.

 

Edited by Milestones
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If we consider Gene Harris as leader of the Three Sounds, (and if you consider changeover in members starting in 1966 I think you have to) you have:

1958-1962 

1966-1971 (last use of Three Sounds in album graphics)

1972-1976 (Gene Harris albums)

That's 16 total years, last 11 successively, with a total of 22 released albums (Sounds) + 6 (Gene Harris) = 28. And that's not treating Introducing Volume 2 and Blue Hour Volume 2 as separate releases or else you'd have an even 30.

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