Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

A Film by Sophie Huber / 2018 / 85 min

The Film

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A revelatory, thrilling and emotional journey behind the scenes of Blue Note Records, the pioneering label that gave voice to some of the finest jazz artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

“A Smart, Exhilarating Look at an Influential Label… ...This documentary directed by Sophie Huber makes a point right off that Blue Note Records is still very much a thing of the present… This tidy, thoughtful film gets at jazz’s joy and pain.” - Glenn Kenny, The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

“Jazz may be a quintessentially American art form, but it is Europeans who make some of the best jazz documentaries, with the captivating 'Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes' being the latest case in point. Potently directed by Switzerland’s Sophie Huber...” - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Damn-near immaculate music documentary" - Leslie Felperin, The Guardian

July 2022

BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES at the Montreux Jazz Festival

BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES by Sophie Huber will be shown at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival July 15 at 22:30 at Lake House. More info about the program at the Lake House here.

«A brisk 90-minutes of engrossing music, stories and lessons from artists who knew the risk and the power of free expression» - Musée Magazin

Blue Note

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Blue Note’s legendary catalog traces the entire history of the music from Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and Fusion.

Director's Note

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I write what I wish for. – Wayne Shorter

Interview Director

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Swiss filmmaker Sophie Huber succeeds in taking an intimate look behind the scenes of the legendary American jazz label. As the title promises, the film goes beyond the history of the label and follows jazz as a political statement, which is particularly resonant today.