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
September 20, 2019
Available worldwide!
DVD: https://smarturl.it/BlueNoteRecDVD
Blu-Ray: https://smarturl.it/BlueNoteRecBR
Digital: https://smarturl.it/BlueNoteRecDig
July 15, 2019
Following a great start of our US theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles, we're excited to let you know that BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES will play in the following US cities in July and August. For all updates and new dates, please visit: https://bluenoterecords-film.com/en/watch/
AUSTIN July 19 -21 Austin Film Society
DETROIT July 15 w Don Was (Concert of Colors) Detroit Institute of Arts July 19 - 24 Cinema Detroit
WASHINGTON, DC One Show Only! August 7 at 8 PM Avalon Theatre
SAN FRANCISCO August 9 -11 Roxie
NASHVILLE One Show Only! August 12 The Belcourt Also: Go see Herbie Hancock, Terrace Martin and Lionel Loueke live at the Ryman on August 11. They might be joining the Belcourt screening.
MINNEAPOLIS August 14 Trylon
PHOENIX August 28 Film Bar
We hope you can see the film in a theater, alone to experience the sound and full power of this music.
June 28, 2019
«The jury is of the opinion that this film tells the story of Blue Note in a congenial way and is therefore a convincing example of what a documentary film can achieve at best.»
June 24, 2019
LAST DAYS IN NYC - FIRST DAYS IN LA! Special guests/moderators during Los Angeles opening weekend starting June 28: Nelson George (Fri), Simon Kilmurry (Sat), Don Was and Keith Lewis aka Qmillion Riddim (Sun).
Screening times and tickets Los Angeles/Santa Monica, Laemmle theatre: https://www.laemmle.com/films/45670
New York, Metrograph: http://metrograph.com/…/…/blue-note-records-beyond-the-notes
March 20, 2019
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes will be released in theaters in the UK & Ireland. Locations and dates HERE
Screenings in Toronto/Canada from 3/29 through 4/7 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Tickets HERE
October 16, 2018
We are pleased about the vivid interest of festivals: Dallas DocuFest, Doc Lisboa, Doc'N Roll Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, Braunschweig International Film Festival, Beirut Art Film Festival, In-Edit Barcelona, Festival dei Popoli, IDFA-Best of Fests ...
August 28, 2018
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes: Dok Station - Music Film Festival Bucarest/Rumania, Filmfest Hamburg/Germany and Vancouver International Film Festival/Canada.
August 23, 2018
Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes: am Donnerstag, 23. August um 19 Uhr Filmpremiere und Gespräch im Stattkino, Luzern, mit Niklaus Troxler sowie Pirmin Bossart; musikalisches Intro: Urs Leimgruber. Zur Einstimmung "Jazz als Lebensschule", erschienen in der Luzerner Zeitung HIER
June 23, 2018
Our Blue Note film will be premiered in France at FID Marseille, will be screened at the Jewish Film Festival in San Francisco and will have a special screening at the Kronsberg Jazz Festival in Norway. Thank you for having us!
June 04, 2018
You don't have to be a jazz fan to love this movie! An 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.
From 14 JUNE in SWISS CINEMAS / from 27 JUNE in SUISSE ROMANDE
June 01, 2018
Happy to announce the Asian premiere of Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
May 04, 2018
We are thrilled to announce our European premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest. The director Sophie Huber will be present at the first screening on June 8. Screening dates and tickets: https://sheffdocfest.com/films/6415
April 23, 2018
We are proud to announce our world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival! Blue Note Records was founded in New York in 1939, nearly 80 years later we come back with a film about this legendary label. Congrats to the whole team!
«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. »
«I write what I wish for. – Wayne Shorter»
«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.»
With (In Alphabetical Order)
Ambrose Akinmusire
Michael Cuscuna
Lou Donaldson
Robert Glasper
Herbie Hancock
Derrick Hodge
Norah Jones
Keith Lewis
Lionel Loueke
Terrace Martin
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Kendrick Scott
Wayne Shorter
Marcus Strickland
Rudy Van Gelder
Don Was
Director
Sophie Huber
Director Of Photography
Shane Sigler
Patrick Lindenmaier
Editor
Russell Greene
Producers
Hercli Bundi
Chiemi Karasawa
Susanne Guggenberger
Sophie Huber
Executive Producers
Geoffrey Kempin
Terry Shand
Anke Beining-Wellhausen
Associate Producer
Vadim Jendreyko
Production
Mira Film
In Association with
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Isotope Films
Final Cut USA
BBC Music
In Coproduction with
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen
Radio Télévision Suisse, SRG SSR
Teleclub
With Financial Support From
Zürcher Filmstiftung
Media Desk Suisse
UBS Culture Foundation
Verein zur Filmförderung in der Schweiz – IWC Filmmaker Award
Stiftung Kulturfonds Suissimage
Succès Passage Antenne
Ernst Göhner Stiftung and Stage Pool Focal