Daily Dispatches: Bruce Lundvall at the 30th Montreal Jazz Festival Articles / Festivals Date: Jul 02, 2009 - 05:41 PM July 1: Our action packed day began with a press conference with the President of EMI/Blue Note Records since 1984. Lundvall was attending as the first recipient of an award named after him to recognise the achievements of non-musicians who have contributed to the development of music, through media, concert or record industries. It has been said that Lundvall, a warm and engaging man with great stories of his years in the world of jazz is gifted with a pair of ears directly connected to his heart. Says Lundvall “It’s a survivor award – that’s really what it is. Jazz artists are my heart. The most wonderful people in the world are jazz musicians, they are the most talented, the most witty and the most wonderful people to work with.” When asked how he found Nora Jones he simply said, “I answered the phone. Michelle White brought her in, I thought she might sell maybe three thousands records; her first CD sold 23 million copies.” In answer to my question of who was his personal favourite in all his years at Blue Note, he said, “Dexter Gordon was my hero. When I first saw him, and at that point he had never heard of me, I went up to him and said, Hi, I’m Bruce Lundvall, you don’t know me but I am from Columbia Records, I’d like to talk to you. Dexter replied with one word in his signature gravely voice – CBS.” Lundvall has either discovered or was responsible for the successful careers of many artists, including country artist Willie Nelson. Said Lundvall, “I took a risk, I loved his voice and his song writing” he had Waylon Jennings with him. They showed up with a recording they made recently and Lundvall didn’t think it sounded commercial. "I went home and listened to it over and over, I loved it." Lundvall says, “I absolutely loved it, and I put it out – it sold three million records and produced one hit after another. Willie is back on Blue Note, he’s a great man, and a great singer and I love him.” “When I got on his bus I just avoided the smoky atmosphere.” he said with a chuckle. Keep your ears open for his latest discovery Christina Train, a blue-eyed soul artist who is very special; her CD should be out in September. Nora Jones also has a new CD coming out in the near future. Following the press conference we shared a walking tour with Lundvall of an exhibition of all Blue Note album jackets, most photographed by the great Jimmy Katz. It was a walk down memory lane as he reminisced about the albums, the artists and his early days. Video coverage at: www.youtube.com/ejazztv This article comes from eJazzTravel : Jazz Travel Articles and News http://www.ejazztravel.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.ejazztravel.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=206