| "Blues March" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Blue Mitchell | |
| from the album Big 6 | |
| Recorded | July 2 and 3, 1958 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Label | Riverside |
| Composer | Benny Golson |
| Producer | 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]
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]
"Blues March" is commonly played by military and other marching bands. [4]
