By @312mrg
The sound of a Blue Note Record is legendary. I've worn out plenty of discs -- even digital formats -- over the years. From Jimmy Smith to John Coltrane, Lou Donaldson to Wayne Shorter, and the thick grooves of Lonnie Smith, Rueben Wilson, Jimmy McGriff, and Grant Green.
At the tender age of 16, I first heard Grant Green's guitar and fell in love with the style and tone. Years later, I was sucked into the orbit of New Mastersounds, who updated this sound as they revered it.
So it's appropriate that the man who brought New Mastersounds to Chicago, Dave Vandenburg, was the one who sent me the Blue Mode CD last week. Blue Mode is another soul jazz quartet cut from the same cloth as NMS, but this time from Spain. They could be from Mars, all I knew was that upon the first listen to Space Race I thought I was back in my parents' basement spinning an old Blue Note record from my dad's record collection.
Here's a listen to 11 instrumental tracks that are seemingly stuck in time. That is, of course, until the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" cover, aside from being a stone groove on a classic cut, slices through genres and musical eras like a hot knife through butter.
If you're inclined, please consider buying here.
