We're not objective when it comes to jazz: we believe Blue Note is still the best jazz label, and this year it's celebrating its 70th anniversary. Since 1939 they've pretty much recorded every major jazz figure (with notable exceptions, like Ken Vandermark). Not bad for a company founded by a pair of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. First recording in a series of rented studios, they later used engineer Rudy Van Gelder's genius to create the "Blue Note sound." more ›