Artists with longest runs at Blue Note

[Milestones]

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 February 2, 2020 by Milestones

[sidewinder]

Bobby Hutcherson must be well up there.

[Chuck Nessa]

Donaldson took a "time out" from mid '63 - '66 to record for Argo/Cadet.

[Brad]

Art Blakey must be up there. 

[Shrdlu]

I wonder why Lou went to Argo for about three years. Most of the guys on his Argo albums were Blue Note regulars and the last session (released as "Musty Rusty") was even recorded at Rudy's.

[Milestones]

I'm pretty sure Blakey is not as long a stretch as you would expect--probably 10 years, if that.

 

 

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Milestones said:

I'm pretty sure Blakey is not as long a stretch as you would expect--probably 10 years, if that.

Longer than that, but not consecutive by a long shot. First leader dates were in 1947, last ones in 1964, but plenty of breaks in between.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

Norah Jones - 17 years.  

[GA Russell]

When Bruce Lundvall had a show on Sirius, I once heard him say offhandedly that Horace Silver made more albums for Blue Note than anyone else except perhaps Grant Green.

[Milestones]

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 February 2, 2020 by Milestones

[Dan Gould]

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.

[sidewinder]

Gil Melle had a long run with BN too (albeit with a humongous gap in the middle).