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Donald Byrd – Kofi – Blue Note Tone Poet Series 180g Vinyl
Drawn from two sessions in 1969 and 1970, Kofi found Donald Byrd in the early stages of his transformation from top-notch hard bop trumpeter to fusion pioneer. Byrd explores a variety of textures with bandmates including Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin, Duke Pearson, Ron Carter, Mickey Roker, and Airto Moreira.
This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.
Duke Pearson – The Right Touch LP (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) – Blue Note Vinyl
Perhaps the perfect starting point for a reappraisal of Duke Pearson’s underrated career is his fantastic and aptly titled 1967 album The Right Touch. The album stands as perhaps the finest in Pearson’s discography and is a showcase of his sublime talents as a pianist, composer, and arranger. The Right Touch is comprised of six memorable Pearson compositions arranged for a dynamic 8-piece band featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Garnett Brown, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, alto saxophonist/flutist Jerry Dodgion, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Grady Tate.
Freddie Hubbard – Blue Spirits Lp (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) Blue Note 180G Vinyl
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 line-up.
Freddie Roach – Good Move (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) 180g Vinyl
In the 1960s, Blue Note’s roster of organists was second to none with leading Hammond B3 practitioners like Jimmy Smith, Big John Patton, and Larry Young each honing their own distinctive styles on the instrument. Freddie Roach was first introduced to Blue Note listeners on Ike Quebec’s albums Heavy Soul and It Might As Well Be Spring and soon began his own run of leader dates for the label including the 1963 standout Good Move featuring Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Eddie Wright on guitar, and Clarence Johnston on drums. This soul jazz classic makes all the right moves with set highlights including “When Malindy Sings,” an Oscar Brown song that was performed by Abbey Lincoln, and Roach’s own church-rooted “Wine, Wine, Wine” and “On Our Way Up,” an uplifting anthem that he wrote on the day of the historic March on Washington.
Hank Mobley – A Slice of the Top (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) Blue Note 180G Vinyl
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already been building a formidable Blue Note catalog for more than a decade when he conceived of his unique album A Slice of the Top, which was recorded in 1966 but not first released until 1979 as part of the LT Series. Inspired by Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool, Mobley collaborated with Duke Pearson who arranged four Mobley originals and the pop standard "There's a Lull In My Life" for an octet that added Kiane Zawadi's euphonium and Howard Johnson's tuba to a group consisting of James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Behold Mobley's lyrical flights on standout tunes including "Hank's Other Bag," "A Touch of Blue," and "A Slice of the Top."
Hank Mobley – A Caddy for Daddy – (Blue Note Tone Poet) – Blue Note 180g Vinyl
Herbie Nichols Trio – Herbie Nichols Trio (Mono) – Blue Note (Tone Poet) 180g Vinyl
Herbie Nichols was one of the most original pianists and composers in jazz history. Blue Note founder Alfred Lion considered him to be as unique and important a voice as Thelonious Monk, another singular talent who Lion was the first to record a few years before he signed Nichols in 1955. Little-known during his lifetime, recognition has begun to grow in recent decades for Nichols’ incredibly hip, angular compositions, each of which were miniature marvels built with their own sturdy inner logic.
Horace Silver – Silver’s Serenade Blue Note Tone Poet Series Vinyl LP
The program on Silver’s Serenade consists of five Silver tunes that epitomize his exceptional compositional style: captivating melodies, sophisticated harmonies, and intricate rhythmic inventions with a soulful and unerring sense of swing at the core. From the relaxed groove of the opening title track to the hard-charging finale “Nineteen Bars” the Quintet delivers their swan song with style.
Ike Quebec – Heavy Soul – Tone Poet Classic Vinyl Series
Ike Quebec’s aptly titled 1961 album Heavy Soul was a soul jazz masterclass with the tenor saxophonist joined by Freddie Roach on organ, Milt Hinton on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. Ike’s robust horn conjures a variety of moods from up-tempo swingers to sultry slow-tempo stunners closing with a spellbinding duo rendition of “Nature Boy” with Hinton. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Jack Wilson – Easterly Winds – Blue Note (Tone Poet) 180g Vinyl
The six-song set presented four Wilson originals including the groovy opener “Do It” and the sublime ballad “Nirvanna” in addition to a tender rendition of the Johnny Mandel tune “A Time for Love” and “Frank’s Tune” by Frank Strozier, which was recently reimagined by Makaya McCraven on his 2021 Blue Note remix project Deciphering the Message.
Jackie McLean – Action Blue Note Tone Poet Series 180g Vinyl
The albums leaps out of the gate with McLean’s searing title track followed by two pensive Tolliver originals: “Plight” and “Wrong Handle.” On a highly original version of the standard “I Hear a Rhapsody” the melody is answered by discordant interjections from the horns before the album comes to a close with McLean’s grooving minor key piece “Hootnan.”
