Blue Note's Magnificent 7....

Blue Note Records' 70th Anniversary was the catalyst for the Blue Note 7, a septet featuring some of our best musicians (Nicholas Payton, Steve Wilson, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Charlap, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash) playing new workings of the classic repertoire. The band recorded an album, Mosaic, and then started touring.
I caught up with them in Tucson, where they ended the first leg of a nearly six month schedule that will bring their music all over the US. Like any working group, the musical interplay gathers momentum the longer they stay together. Sadly, working bands on extended tours are something of a rarity these days. Group chemistry doesn't happen in an instant, its an organic process that must be nurtured.
Before their Tucson concert, the group allowed me to film them performing Steve Wilson's arrangement of Thelonious Monk's Criss Cross. I've shot other groups playing music, but this is really the first time I was able to get right up on the stage, in their faces, and feel like I was part of the music.
In addition to my moving camera, I used a stationary camera for a wide shot. Each musician took one chorus, and like the true professionals they are, each was able to infuse that one chorus with some serious musical intensity. This is my best performance video to date, and I look forward to working with other musicians in this intimate, exciting way. Many thanks to the Blue Note 7 for their remarkable performance, and cooperation and to their Road Manager and Ace Soundman Richard Battaglia.
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