Blues March

Last updated
"Blues March"
Song by Blue Mitchell
from the album Big 6
RecordedJuly 2 and 3, 1958
Genre Jazz
Label Riverside
Composer(s) Benny Golson
Producer(s) Orrin Keepnews

"Blues March" is a composition by Benny Golson. It was first recorded for Blue Mitchell's Riverside album Big 6 on July 2 and 3, 1958, [1] [2] and has become a jazz standard. [2]

Contents

Composition and recording

The composition is in 4/4 time. [3] It was influenced by New Orleans marching bands, and "starts in long meter form and transforms back into regular time." [4] Its straightforward harmony and separate sections make it ideal for improvisation. [4] In the view of Leonard Feather, "the theme, with its slight bugle-call orientation, has a period quality that ties the work together". [3]

Although some sources state that its first recorded version is the well known one by Art Blakey's band on his album Moanin' [4] (recorded on October 30, 1958 [5] ), the first version was on trumpeter Blue Mitchell's Big 6 , which was recorded on July 2 and 3, 1958. [1] [2] This album was also Mitchell's first as leader. [1]

Influence

"Blues March" is commonly played by military and other marching bands. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Yanow, Scott "Blue Mitchell: Big 6". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [CD liner notes]. p. 3. Mosaic.
  3. 1 2 Feather, Leonard In Moanin' [Liner notes]. Blue Note.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Edelstein, Paula "Art Farmer/Benny Golson: Blues March". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  5. In Moanin' [CD liner notes]. Blue Note.