* 2020 Stock * Not Blues is a live recording of the contemporary jazz group Masayuki Takayanagi Jazz Contemporary 4, which was formed in February 1969. It was the year when the group New Direction was formed and the first recording "Independence" under the name of New Direction was released in September the following year. In other words, this work is a record of "jazz performance" just before Masayuki Takayanagi moved to free jazz.

According to the commentary by guitarist Kazuo Imai (that studied under Masayuki Takayanagi) recorded in this work, Takayanagi said, "The performance of free jazz, which is the cutting edge of jazz, is not just a manifestation of ideas and emotions, but jazz. I also thought that it wouldn't be possible if it wasn't based on history".

This work was excavated from a large number of tapes left by Masayuki Takayanagi. The recording location and the environment and equipment at the time of recording are unknown, but the recording condition is good from the beginning, and by paying attention to mastering, the finish is such that you can clearly hear the facial expressions of the performance of each instrument. - Osamu Aoki