News Bits: Jazzanova, Hargrove and DeFrancesco Go Def, Steve Khan

Jazzanova is the latest to be granted access to the Blue Note vaults. They’ve mixed 26 songs from the esteemed label’s catalog for Blue Note Trip v.4. The selections are excellent. I don’t know if it’s been released here in the U.S. but it is available . . . Roy Hargrove and Joey DeFrancesco collaborate on a cover of Method Man’s “All I Need” on the Def Jazz release coming from GRP on August 7. As the title indicates, the CD is a jazzy tribute to old school Def Jam classics . . . Steve Khan was recently in the recording studio with John Patitucci and Jack DeJohnette.