Note Bleu: Best of the Blue Note Years 1998–2005 is a "best of" or "greatest hits

Greatest hits

A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...

" compilation

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

 from experimental

Experimental music

Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...

 jazz fusion

Jazz fusion

Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

 trio Medeski Martin & Wood

Medeski Martin & Wood

Medeski Martin & Wood is an American jazz trio formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards and piano, Billy Martin on drums and percussion, and Chris Wood on double bass and bass guitar....

, released in 2006 and featuring select songs from all of the band's albums released on Blue Note Records

Blue Note Records

Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

. (The band has since started an independent label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

, Indirecto Records.)

Note Bleu was also released in a Deluxe Edition, featuring 3 bonus tracks and a Bonus DVD.

Track listing

1. "The Dropper" – 3:32
2. "Sugar Craft" – 3:19
3. "I Wanna Ride You" – 3:25
4. "Nocturne" – 4:02
5. "Partido Alto" – 5:44
6. "Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho" (Billy Martin
   Billy Martin (percussionist)
   Billy Martin is an American jazz drummer, best known as a member of jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood.-Biography:Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin was part of the New York City Brazilian scene in the 1980s. He performed regularly with Pe De Boi, Batucada and several Bob...
   
    remix) – 3:56
7. "Note Bleu" – 3:02
8. "Pappy Check" – 2:43
9. "Mami Gato" – 4:08
10. "Off the Table" – 4:16
11. "Queen Bee" – 4:55
12. "Hypnotized" – 5:03
13. "Hey Joe" – 5:01
14. "End of the World Party" – 5:09
15. "Uninvisible" – 3:37

Deluxe Edition CD:

16. "Whiney Bitches" – 3:04
17. "The Builder" (from The Dropper
    The Dropper
    The Dropper is an album by experimental jazz fusion trio Medeski Martin & Wood.-Track listing:#"We Are Rolling" – 7:04#"Big Time" – 3:23#"Fèlic" – 3:21#"Partido Alto" – 5:42#"Illinization" – 2:31#"Bone Digger" – 2:22#"Note Bleu" – 3:01...
    
     Japanese version) – 3:28
18. "Toy Dancing" – 6:35

Bonus DVD

The Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD includes the following:

Music Videos:

• "Partido Alto" - Directed by: Adam Bork
• "The Dropper" - Directed by: Adam Bork
• "Uninvisible" - Directed by: Bill Gilman

Live Performances:

• Texaco Jazz Festival - "Sugar Craft" > "Ankhnaton" (Sun Ra
  Sun Ra
  Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
  
  ) - with DJ Logic
  DJ Logic
  DJ Logic is an American turntablist active primarily in jazz and with jam bands.Kibler was born and raised in The Bronx. An early interest in hip hop led to his using the turntables, practicing often. Kibler was also interested in funk and jazz music, and began collaborating with various musicians...
  
   - 13:14

The performance took place on June 8, 1998 at the Texaco Jazz Festival, New York, NY

Produced, Directed and Edited by: Chuck Fishbein for Crazy Duck Productions

• NewPort JVC Jazz Festival - "New Planet" and "Queen Bee" - 12:16

The performance took place on August 13, 2005 at the JVC Jazz Festival, Newport, RI

Produced by JVC and Festival Productions, Inc.

Documentaries:

• Foreplay (2004) - Directed by: Libby Spears & Sarah Flack / Bluprint Films - 9:50
• Medeski Martin & Wood's "The Dropper" (2002) - Directed by: Marie-Pierre Jaury / Mezzo/Point Du Jour - 30:00

Performers

• John Medeski
  John Medeski
  Anthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboards player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood...
  
   – keyboards
• Billy Martin
  Billy Martin (percussionist)
  Billy Martin is an American jazz drummer, best known as a member of jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood.-Biography:Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin was part of the New York City Brazilian scene in the 1980s. He performed regularly with Pe De Boi, Batucada and several Bob...
  
   – drums, percussion
• Chris Wood
  Chris Wood (jazz musician)
  Christopher Barry Wood is an American bass player, best known for playing with the avant-garde jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood .-Biography:...
  
  – basses

External links

• In-depth Note Bleu Review at Popmatters.com