''C-Note'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

the New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for ...

released in 2004 (though all five tracks had been released as separate

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...

files earlier in 2003). Its genre is

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, with five tracks taken from soundchecks during the One Nite Alone... Tour. Four of the five tracks are named after the location they were recorded in. The album's title corresponds to the first letters of the words in the track listing: "Copenhagen", "Nagoya", "Osaka", "Tokyo", and "Empty Room". The entire album was recorded live from the audio console by Prince's concert sound engineer Scottie Baldwin. The first four tracks are instrumentals, although the fourth features Prince repeating "Tokyo". The fifth track is a live rendition of "Empty Room" (recorded October 25, 2002, in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

), though the song was written August 4, 1985, when it was first recorded. The song is reported to have been written and recorded for

Susannah Melvoin Susannah Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American vocalist and songwriter. Melvoin is best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Melvoin comes from a musical family and is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister ...

after relationship difficulty. The album is highly experimental and reminiscent of the Madhouse project. It was sold in digital format only on Prince's

NPG Music Club NPG Music Club was the official website for Prince from 2001 to 2006, and was named after Prince's New Power Generation band. Based on being one of the first mainstream artists to use the internet as an independent music distribution hub, Prince won ...

. ''C-Note'' is jazz-oriented along with quiet storm, jazz-fusion, jazz-funk, and smooth jazz. It is also atmospheric and new age-themed.

History

Prince's then-fan club, the NPG Music Club charged $100 for a membership that had advertised that paying members would receive four exclusive albums. After Prince released '' One Nite Alone...'' and the three-disc '' One Nite Alone... Live!'', members who felt deceived sent complaints of Federal

Mail Fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

to the

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a Democratic-Farme ...

's office and the

Better Business Bureau The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an American private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 92 independently incorporated local BBB organizati ...

after Prince failed to honor the agreement. Some fans speculated that the albums ''

Xpectation ''Xpectation'' (subtitled "New Directions in Music By Prince") is the twenty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 1, 2003, by NPG Records. It is the first instrumental album released under Prince's o ...

'' and ''C-Note'' (slang for a $100 bill) were his response to being forced to comply to these demands.

Track listing

Original 2003 downloads (as separate tracks) # "Copenhagen" – 13:28 #* contains a portion of

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

' "Jean-Pierre" # "Nagoya" – 8:54 # "Osaka" – 5:28 # "Tokyo" – 5:04 # "Empty Room" – 4:02 2004 re-release/2015 TIDAL # "Copenhagen" – 10:07 #* excises Davis interpolation

Personnel

– various instruments, vocals on "Empty Room" * John Blackwell – drums * Greg Boyer – trombone *

Candy Dulfer Candy Dulfer (born 19 September 1969) is a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. She is the daughter of jazz saxophonist Hans Dulfer. She began playing at age six and founded her band Funky Stuff when she was fourteen. Her debut album '' Saxuality'' ...

– saxophone *

Eric Leeds Eric Leeds is an American saxophone player, mostly known for his work with Prince (musician), Prince. He has recorded mostly music in the Pop music, pop and funk genres, but is a studied jazz musician.Cole, George.Eric Leeds: Interviews: The Las ...

– tenor saxophone and keyboards * Renato Neto – keyboards *

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of ...

– alto saxophone *

Rhonda Smith Rhonda Smith is a Canadian bassist, best known for her work with Prince and Jeff Beck. Biography Smith was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her family moved to Montreal when she was a child. She and her three siblings were encouraged to ...

– Bass guitar * Dudley D. – Scratching * Scottie Baldwin – FOH recording and mix engineer

References

{{Prince albums 2004 live albums Prince (musician) albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) NPG Records live albums