Blue Note 85
The precocious and prodigious drummer and composer Tony Williams had already joined the Miles Davis Quintet and participated in numerous landmark Blue Note recordings including Herbie Hancock Empyrean Isles, Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch, Andrew Hill Point Of Departure, Jackie McLean One Step Beyond, and Grachan Moncur III Evolution by the time he recorded his own adventurous debut album Life Time in August 1964, when he was still just 18 years old. Williams had no intention of playing it safe on his maiden voyage as a leader and set forth to document his uncompromising expression on this program of innovative original compositions.
Side 1 presents the expansive two movement suite "2 Pieces of One" with the drummer joined by tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers and bassists Gary Peacock and Richard Davis. Side 2 opens with the jaunty "Tomorrow Afternoon" featuring Williams, Rivers, and Peacock. Williams plays a variety of percussion on the freely improvised "Memory" which features Herbie Hancock on piano and Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, and lays out entirely on the ruminative piano-bass duet "Barb's Song to the Wizard" performed by Hancock and Ron Carter which closes the album.
Trumpeter Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley (tenor sax) let listeners know that they are in for an exceptional musical experience on "Ghana". For these Byrd In Flight 1960 sessions, he was joined by Jackie Mclean (alto sax), Duke Pearson (piano), Doug Watkins/Reggie Workman (bass) & Lex Humphries (drums). Higlights include the stunning ballad "Little Girl Blue," and swingers "My Girl Shirl" and "Lex". Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold package.
Andrew Hill is one of the most distinctive pianists/composers in jazz. Recorded in 1969, it sat unreleased until 2003 when it was issued on CD thanks to archivist Michael Cuscuna. Hill penned all compositions for an ensemble featuring Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Julian Priester, Joe Farrell, Howard Johnson, Bob Northern, Ron Carter and Lenny White. This is presented for the first time on vinyl. Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Recorded in 1961, but not released until 1967, The Witch Doctor features one of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' greatest line-ups: Wayne Shorter (saxophone), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Bobby Timmons (piano), and Jymie Merritt (bass). Highlights include Morgan's "Afrique," Shorter's "Those Who Sit and Wait," Timmons' "A Little Busy," and Jordan's "Lost and Found" which closes the album. Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Roots And Herbs (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) [LP]
Vinyl LP pressing. Blue Note Tone Poet Series. One Art Blakey's greatest albums with the Jazz Messengers, Roots & Herbs, is little known. In 1961, the group featured Lee Morgan (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Bobby Timmons (piano) and Jymie Merrit (bass). Recorded in Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio, it's a brilliant set of six Shorter compositions, like the playful "Ping Pong" and the clever "United." It's among Blakey's finest.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
The Big Beat [Blue Note Classic Series LP]
Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series!
180g Vinyl LP!
Mastered By Kevin Gray From Original Analog Tapes!
Pressed At Optimal!
The fourth volume of The Amazing Bud Powell series, recorded in 1958, found the brilliant bebop piano master in particularly fine form on an ebullient set of his original tunes including "Buster Rides Again," "Monopoly," and "John's Abbey." Powell's inventive solo flights shine in a trio setting with Sam Jones on bass and "Philly" Joe Jones on drums.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
FEATURES:
- Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
- 180g Vinyl LP
- All-Analog Pressing
- Mastered by Kevin Gray from Original Analog Tapes
- Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell
The amazing bebop piano genius Bud Powell made his most enduring recordings as a leader for Blue Note. Powell's 1949 and 1951 sessions were compiled in 1955 on The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1. Featuring the pianist with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Fats Navarro, Roy Haynes and Max Roach on bebop classics including "Un Poco Loco" and "Bouncing with Bud." Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
FEATURES:
- Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
- 180g Vinyl LP
- All-Analog Pressing
- Mono
- Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original analog tapes
- Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
MUSICIANS:
Fats Navarro Trumpet
Sonny Rollins Tenor Saxaphone
Bud Powell Piano
Curly Russell Bass
Max Roach DRUMS
Amazing Bud Powell, Vol 1 (Blue note Classic Vinyl Series)
There are several albums titled Chet Baker Sings, but this Pacific Jazz recording is the original, and arguably, the best. Highlights Chet's indelible vocals and sterling trumpet playing with two quartet line-ups on a set of classic standards. For the first time in 60 years, this definitive edition is pristinely cut from the original masters. Includes additional session photography. Blue Note Records' Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series features 180g vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Chet Baker, Art Pepper & Phil Urso
Picture Of Heath (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) [LP]
Vinyl: $41.60 Buy
Dexter Gordon had been living in Europe for several years when he recorded One Flight Up, one of his masterpieces, in Paris in 1964. It's all here: Dexter's magnificently huge sound, Donald Byrd in peak form on trumpet, the sophistication of pianist Kenny Drew, the brilliance of the then-teenaged bass phenom Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and the rock-steady swing of drummer Art Taylor. Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
In 1962 Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach recorded Money Jungle, one of the most celebrated jazz trio albums of all time. Generational and stylistic differences between the three created fearless music. The album features some of Ellington's indelible compositions including "Caravan," "Solitude," and a stunning version of "Le Fleurs Africaines (African Flower)." Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Blue Note Tone Poet Series. Duke Pearson's opening title track of superb album, The Phantom, sets a stage for one of Blue Note's underrecognized gems. The pianist/composer/arranger gathered a superb cast: Bobby Hutcherson, Jerry Dodgion (flute), Sam Brown/Al Gafa (guitars), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Mickey Roker/Victor Pantojo/Potato Valdes (drums). With standouts like "Los Ojos Alegres (The Happy Eyes)" and "Say You're Mine".
After his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, the master drummer Elvin Jones signed with Blue Note in 1968 and began building his own career as a bandleader. His first two albums for the label were spare trio outings-Puttin' It Together and The Ultimate-both featuring saxophonist Joe Farrell and bassist Jimmy Garrison. For his next album-1969's unfettered post-bop exploration Poly-Currents-Jones expanded his ensemble with additional woodwinds and percussion while still maintaining spacious realms for the musicians to delve into on modal band member originals including "Agenda," Agappe Love," "Mr. Jones," and "Whew." Jones is joined throughout by a cast that includes Farrell on tenor saxophone, English horn, and flutes, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Fred Tompkins on flute, Wilbur Little on bass, and Cuban conguero Candido Camero.
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Blue Note Tone Poet Series
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The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was' admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. Was brought Joe Harley, a.k.a. the "Tone Poet," on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.
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Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the jacket graphics and printing quality to superior LP mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180g audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Tone Poet releases is done to the highest possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version. This is IT.
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This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.
Elvin Jones / Poly-Currents Blue Note Tone Poet Series - Elvin Jones
The prodigious trumpeter Freddie Hubbard debuted on Blue Note in 1960 and produced an astounding run of recordings over the first half of the decade that culminated with Blue Spirits, which was the last of his 1960s studio albums for the label. This bluesy and spirited album presented five evocative Hubbard originals, each of which was given a richly textured arrangement for an ensemble that included a dynamic four-horn lineup. Drawn from two different sessions, the first date produced the gratifying opening track "Soul Surge" and the percolating "Cunga Black" with Hubbard joined by James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Kiane Zawadi on euphonium, Harold Mabern on piano, Larry Ridley on bass, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Big Black on congas. A week later Hubbard returned to Van Gelder Studio with Spaulding, Zawadi, and a slightly different lineup including Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums. This second session rounded out the album with hard-charging performances of "Outer Forces" and "Jodo," as well as the mesmerizing title track.
This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.
FEATURES:
- 180gram Vinyl LP
- Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series
- Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
- Mastered from the Original Analog Tapes
- Deluxe Tip-On Jacket
Freddie Hubbard Blue Spirits (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) 180gram LP
Gerald Wilson's 1962 album, Moment of Truth, features his dynamic big band on an action-packed 9-song set (7 of which were composed by Wilson) with highlights including the swaggering blues of the title track, the irrepressible Latin groove of "Viva Tirado," and a fleet-footed version of Miles Davis's "Milestones." Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
The brilliant arranger, composer, and pianist Gil Evans had already collaborated with Miles Davis on Birth of the Cool and Miles Ahead and made his own debut album Gil Evans & Ten for Prestige when he signed with World Pacific Records in 1958 and made the first of two albums for the label: New Bottle Old Wine with featured soloist Cannonball Adderley. The next year Evans was back in the studio to record the follow-up Great Jazz Standards with two different ensembles featuring the likes of trumpeter Johnny Coles, trombonists Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cleveland, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Budd Johnson, guitarist Ray Crawford, drummer Elvin Jones, and others. As the title promises, the album presents a program of great jazz standards leading off with Bix Beiderbecke's "Davenport Blues," a showcase for Coles, before launching into a shimmering version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser" where Coles, Lacy, Fuller, and Evans all get the spotlight. A stunning presentation of Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf's "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" and a no-nonsense take on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" close out the first side. On the flipside, John Lewis' "Django" gets an impressionistic arrangement full of surprises, while a modernistic version of Don Redman's "Chant of the Weed" is a solo vehicle for Johnson's clarinet. The album culminates with a soaring performance of the Evans original "Theme," later known as "La Nevada."
This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.
FEATURES:
- 180gram Vinyl LP
- Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series
- Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
- Mastered from the Original Analog Tapes
- Deluxe Tip-On Jacket
Gil Evans - Great Jazz Standards - Tone Poet LP
Grant Green's Nigeria is an underrated gem in the guitarist's remarkable Blue Note catalog. Recorded in 1962, and released in 1980, the album features a top-shelf band with Sonny Clark on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and powerhouse Art Blakey on drums. The groove is deep right from the start, highlighting timeless renditions of the classic tracks. Blue Note's Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series features 180g vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Hank Mobley, famously called the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", had a round sound and an incredible rhythmic lightness. This remarkable 1957 session features a stunning cast of bop giants, including Art Farmer, Pepper Adams, Sonny Clark and more. "East of Brooklyn", a highlight on the album, is a masterpiece of lyrical construction. Part of the Blue Note Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this 180g vinyl features all-analog, remastered audio in deluxe gatefold packaging.