Legendary punk rocker and avid jazz fan Henry Rollins first brought Matthew Shipp together with Thirsty Ear label head Peter Gordon. The two quickly developed what has blossomed into the Blue Series as we know it today-a seamless blending of electronics, jazz, classical, and DJ and hip-hop culture, always rooted in a strong jazz sensibility. As 2003 progressed, praise for the series has grown to an international scale, prompting some critics to proclaim the rebirth of jazz. This sampler contains music from artists who garnered acclaim with their previous Blue Series albums: Matthew Shipp, Antipop Consortium, DJ Spooky with the Mad Professor and Lee "Scratch" Perry, Spring Heel Jack, and the William Parker Violin Trio, to name a few.