“Blue Note is the past, present and the future.”
- Terrace Martin, producer and musician
The documentary presents the unique vision of the iconic American publishing house, founded in 1939 by the two German Jewish immigrants Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, where some of the most important jazz musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries were recording. With some rare archival recordings, more recent studio recordings and conversations with the musicians and people close to the publishing house, we enter the backstage area and explore its inspiring mission that remains relevant to this day. We witness the making of a new album that joins the legends Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter with Robert Glasper and Ambros Akinmusir representing the new generation; and we travel into the past with the great artists such as Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Miles Davis.
Also featured in the film are Michael Cuscuna, Lou Donaldson, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Norah Jones, Keith Lewis, Lionel Loueke, Terrace Martin, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Kendrick Scott, Marcus Strickland, Rudy Van Gelder and Don Was.