Jazz

All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Kenny Burrell Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI: Reference-Caliber Blue Note Reissue Helmed by Music Matters' Joe Harley

The first thing that strikes you about Kenny Burrell's second Blue Note album, simply titled Kenny Burrell and released as part of Blue Note's fabled 1500 series, is the cover, which features an illustration by Andy Warhol, the first of three Blue Note covers the soon-to-be famed artist collaborated on with designer Reid Miles. The second is the striking music, which is drawn from four different sessions recorded in 1956 with the great guitarist featured in a variety of different configurations.

The opener, a brisk romp through Harold Arlen's "Get Happy," features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Kenny Clarke on drums, and Candido on congas. That leads into a stunning solo guitar rendition of the Gershwin tune "But Not For Me," which is followed by the live track "Mexico City," a piece by Kenny Dorham and recorded with the trumpeter's sextet at the Café Bohemia. Burrell and Flanagan are joined by bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Shadow Wilson on the Basie band number "Moten Swing" and Burrell's "Cheeta," and tenor saxophonist Frank Foster makes it a quintet for remainder of Side 2 on Pettiford's "Now See How You Are," Burrell's "Phinupi," and the Burton Lane standard "How About You."

Blue Note Records' acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2022. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label's 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing "Old Style" gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest-possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version.

"The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session."
- Joe Harley

Musicians:
Kenny Burrell, guitar
Bobby Timmons / Tommy Flanagan, piano
Kenny Dorham, trumpet
Frank Foster / J.R. Monterose, tenor saxophone
Oscar Pettiford / Paul Chambers / Sam Jones, bass
Arthur Edgehill / Kenny Clarke / Shadow Wilson, drums
Candido, congas

Features:
• Blue Note Tone Poet Series
• Curated by Music Matters co-founder Joe Harley
• Audiophile-quality 180g vinyl LP
• All-analog mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray
• Manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated
• Deluxe gatefold jacket packaging

1. Get Happy
2. But Not For Me
3. Mexico City
4. Moten Swing
5. Cheeta
6. Now See How You Are
7. Phinupi
8. How About You

Limited 180gm blue vinyl LP pressing. Includes bonus track.

• 1 Giant Steps
• 2 Cousin Mary
• 3 Countdown
• 4 Spiral
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute
• 6 Naima
• 7 Mr. P.C
• 8 Harmonique

There's scarcely a more towering figure in modern jazz than Bill Evans. His relaxed, emotional style would prove influential to generations of pianists who would follow him. On Trio '65, Evans is joined by bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker. It includes "If You Could See Me Now," Johnny Carisi's "Israel," and the heart-wrenching "Who Can I Turn To?" Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered on 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Tracks

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Israel
• 2 Elsa
• 3 Round Midnight
• 4 Our Love Is Here to Stay
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 How My Heart Sings
• 2 Who Can I Turn To?
• 3 Come Rain or Come Shine
• 4 If You Could See Me Now

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes. While the first 16 titles of the series focused on the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, the new run of titles curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman broadens its scope to span the many eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history presented by themes: Bebop, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde, The 70s, The Rebirth, and Hidden Gems.

In the late 1940s, Blue Note founder Alfred Lion became enthralled with the modern sounds of bebop and began recording several of the new music's innovators including the brilliant pianist Bud Powell, who Lion dubbed The Amazing Bud Powell. Powell could be erratic, but as a producer Lion always seemed to draw the best out of the piano master, and cut numerous classic sides including "Un Poco Loco" and "Bouncing with Bud." The fourth volume of The Amazing Bud Powell series, titled Time Waits, was recorded in 1958 and found Powell in particularly fine form on an ebullient set of his original tunes including "Buster Rides Again," "Monopoly," and "John's Abbey." Powell's playing is endlessly inventive as he takes flight in a trio setting with bassist Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, who elevates the session with some of his most inspired drumming on record.

Musicians:
Bud Powell, piano
Sam Jones, bass
'Philly' Joe Jones, drums

Features:
• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
• All analog 180g vinyl LP
• Mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes
• Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
• Standard packaging

1. Buster Rides Again
2. Sub City
3. Time Waits
4. Marmalade
5. Monopoly
6. John's Abbey
7. Dry Soul
8. Sub City (Alternate Take)

Tracklist

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes. While the first 16 titles of the series focused on the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, the new run of titles curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman broadens its scope to span the many eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history presented by themes: Bebop, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde, The 70s, The Rebirth, and Hidden Gems.

Herbie Nichols was one of the most highly original and under-recognized pianists and composers in jazz history. Blue Note founder Alfred Lion considered him to be every bit as unique and important as Thelonious Monk, another singular talent who Lion was the first to record just a few years before he signed Nichols in 1955. Little-known during his lifetime, recognition has begun to grow in recent years for Nichols' incredibly hip, angular compositions like "The Third World," "2300 Skidoo," "Step Tempest," and "Dance Line," each of which were miniature marvels built with their own sturdy inner logic.

In May 1955, Nichols recorded two sessions with Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums which were originally released as The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 1 and The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 2. The two 10" LPs are combined here onto a single 12" LP that's presented in gatefold packaging with the two covers on the front and back with the liner notes on the inside.

Musicians:
Herbie Nichols, piano
Al McKibbon, bass
Art Blakey, drums

Features:
• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
• All analog 180g vinyl LP
• Mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes
• Manufactured at Optimal in Germany
• Standard packaging

1. The Third World
2. Step Tempest
3. Dance Line
4. Blue Chopsticks
5. Double Exposure
6. Cro-Magnon Nights
7. Amoeba's Dance
8. Crisp Day
9. 2300 Skiddoo
10. It Didn't Happen
11. Shuffle Montgomery
12. Brass Rings

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket. Recorded in 1957, Kenny Burrell's 3rd session as a leader for Blue Note presented the guitarist's signature stylings with a crack team of hard boppers featuring Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Doug Watkins, & Louis Hayes. Previously only issued on vinyl in Japan this swinging set is given a new shine with this mono Tone Poet Vinyl Edition produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.

The greatest bassist leader jazz has ever known, Charles Mingus, with his spirited playing and spontaneity, always kept his ears and fingers on the pulse. “Mingus was something else, man,” Miles Davis wrote in his own book. “A pure genius, I loved him.”

This year marks the birth centenary of Charles Mingus, whose musical legacy is still ongoing. From artists like Kamasi Washington bringing him to a new generation, Chrissie Hynde, whose latest album includes a Mingus cover, Candace Springs, Elvis Costello, to Gang Starr sampling him, and Joni Mitchell writing lyrics to his music.

Originally released in 1957 on the Jubilee label, Mingus Three is one of only two albums led by Mingus in a trio setting, featuring pianist Hampton Hawes and drummer Dannie Richmond. This remastered release includes a whole extra disc of previously unreleased outtakes, discovered by chance, from these sessions, as well as liner notes by Charles Mingus’ friend and colleague Sy Johnson.

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Yesterdays (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 2 Back Home Blues (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 3 I Can't Get Started (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 4 Hamp's New Blues (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Summertime (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 2 Dizzy Moods (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 3 Laura (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 4 Untitled Blues - Take 1 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• - Disc 3 -
• 1 Untitled Blues - Take 2 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 2 Back Home Blues - Take 6 - Incomplete (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 3 Hamp's New Blues - Take 4 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• - Disc 4 -
• 1 I Can't Get Started - Take 4 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 2 Yesterdays - Take 2 - Incomplete (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 3 Dizzy Moods - Take 2 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]
• 4 Summertime - Take 3 (Feat. Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond) [2022 Remaster]

All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Art Blakey's The Witch Doctor Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI: Reference-Caliber Blue Note Reissue Helmed by Music Matters' Joe Harley

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 Records' acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2021. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label's 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing "Old Style" gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest-possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version.

"The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session."
- Joe Harley

Musicians:
Art Blakey, drums
Wayne Shorter, saxophone
Lee Morgan, trumpet
Bobby Timmons, piano
Jymie Merritt, bass

Features:
• Blue Note Tone Poet Series
• Curated by Music Matters co-founder Joe Harley
• Audiophile-quality 180g vinyl LP
• All-analog mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray
• Manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated
• Deluxe gatefold jacket packaging

1. The Witch Doctor
2. Afrique
3. Those Who Sit and Wait
4. A Little Busy
5. Joelle
6. Lost and Found

Coltrane's 1959 Atlantic Records debut became his most influential album, and helped bring jazz to the mainstream. Forty-plus years later, it remains one of the all time great jazz albums. Features Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Cobb, and Art Taylor. Mastered from the original analog tapes. Pressed on 180-gram HQ vinyl. All original packaging.

• 1 Giant Steps
• 2 Cousin Mary
• 3 Countdown
• 4 Spiral
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute
• 6 Naima
• 7 Mr. P.C
• 8 Giant Steps [Alternate Version 1]
• 9 Naima [Alternate Version 1]
• 10 Cousin Mary [Alternate Take]
• 11 Countdown [Alternate Take]
• 12 Syeeda's Song Flute [Alternate Take]
• 13 Giant Steps [Alternate Version 2]
• 14 Naima [Alternate Version 2]
• 15 Giant Steps [Alternate Take]

Grant Green was Feelin' The Spirit on this deeply soulful 1962 date that found the great guitarist interpreting a set of spirituals with a state of the art modern jazz line-up featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, Billy Higgins on drums plus Garvin Masseaux on tambourine. 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 gatefold tip-on jacket.

• 1 Just a Closer Walk with Thee
• 2 Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
• 3 Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
• 4 Go Down Moses5
• 5 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
• 6 Deep River

Though he invited in collaborators for this project, Jeff Parker is very much a solo artist on Suite for Max Brown. He constructs a digital bed of beats and samples; lays down tracks of his own on guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and occasionally voice; then invites musician friends to play and improvise over his melodies.

But unlike a traditional jazz session, Parker doesn't assemble a full band in the studio for a day or two of live takes. His accompanists are often working alone with Parker, reacting to what Parker has provided them, and then Parker uses those individual parts to layer and assemble into his final tracks. The process may be relatively solitary and cerebral, but the results feel like in-the-moment jams – warm-hearted, human, alive. Suite for Max Brown brims with personality, boasting the rhythmic flow of hip hop and the soulful swing of jazz.

Fellow travelers here include pianist-saxophonist Josh Johnson; bassist Paul Bryan, who co-produced and mixed the album with Parker; piccolo trumpet player Rob Mazurek, his frequent duo partner; trumpeter Nate Walcott, a veteran of Conor Oberst's Bright Eyes; drummers Jamire Williams, Makaya McCraven, and Parker's Berklee School of Music classmate Jay Bellerose; cellist Katinka Klejin of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and even his seventeen-year-old daughter Ruby Parker, a student at the Chicago High School of the Arts, who contributes vocals to opening track, "Build a Nest."

1. Build a Nest (feat. Ruby Parker)
2. C'mon Now
3. Fusion Swirl
4. After the Rain
5. Metamorphoses
6. Gnarciss
7. Lydian, Etc.
8. Del Rio
9. 3 for L
10. Go Away
11. Max Brown

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes.

When Lee Morgan recorded his album Caramba, he was only months away from his 30th birthday, making the fact that this was his twenty-third Blue Note recording even more astounding. A full-fledged master, his technical prowess on the horn matched by the emotional depth of his playing, and a composer who could conjure different moods and styles with his writing.

Tracks

1. Caramba
2. Suicide City
3. Cunning Lee
4. Soulita
5. Helen's Ritual

Released on the legendary Dutch jazz label Timeless Records, Chippin' In features ten sublime tracks recorded at Rudy van Gelder's Recording Studio in February 1990. Although Art Blakey passed away just eight months after these tracks were cut you certainly can't tell by the performances. For these specific recordings, The Jazz Messengers were expanded from its usual quintet or sextet into a septet and they showcase their energetic signature sound with remarkable style, musical knowledge, a dash of good humor and camaraderie you'd expect from a world-class outfit. The line-up on these fantastic sessions includes non-other than Essiet Okon, Geoff Keezer, Dale Barlow, Javon Jackson, Frank Lacy, Steve Davis and Brian Lynch...impressive to say the least!

Tidal Waves Music proudly presents the first ever vinyl release of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers' Chippin' In on deluxe colored 180g vinyl 2LP with an obi strip. The jacket features exclusive session pics shot by legendary Dutch photographer Joost Leijen (known for his work with artists such as Chet Baker and Pharoah Sanders), plus an insert with liner notes by renowned author and producer Russ Musto. Chippin' In sounds as vibrant as ever here! Expect supercharged hard bop with striking notes, no-holds-barred musicianship, high swinging solos, screaming choruses and plenty of solid virtuosity to spare. This electrifying set of tracks contains both originals and several eclectic versions of standards...making this release a bonafide hit and a must-have for any self-respecting jazz fan or collector.

Musicians:
Art Blakey, drums
Essiet Okon, bass
Geoff Keezer, piano
Dale Barlow / Javon Jackson, tenor saxophone
Frank Lacy / Steve Davis, trombone
Brian Lynch, trumpet

Features:
• Deluxe colored 180g vinyl 2LP
• First time on the format
• Includes obi strip
• Exclusive session pics shot by Dutch photographer Joost Leijen
• Insert with liner notes by renowned author and producer Russ Musto

1. Brain Stormin'
2. Byrdflight
3. Hammerhead
4. Aquarius Rising
5. Kay Pea
6. Chippin' In
7. Raincheck
8. Chandek's Den
9. Kenji's Walk
10. Love Walked In

Sylva (remixed & Remastered) 

Vinyl LP pressing. For his third Blue Note album Inventions & Dimensions (1963), pianist Herbie Hancock began moving away from the modernist hard bop sound that defined his first two albums Takin' Off and My Point Of View. Inspired by explorers like Eric Dolphy and Tony Williams, Hancock went in search of greater musical freedom by composing a set of ingenious originals each with their own unique inner logic that did away with what he considered the established jazz "assumptions" of the time.

• 1 Succotash
• 2 Triangle
• 3 Jack Rabbit
• 4 Mimosa
• 5 Jump Ahead, a
• 6 Mimosa - (Alternate Take, Bonus Track)

GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL (BLUE NOTE CLASSIC VNYL SERIES) 180gram Heavy Vinyl - Grant Green's musical style evolved to embrace jazz-funk as the decade turned to 1970. The guitarist's vibrant album Green Is Beautiful is a highlight of the era. With his distinctive tone, he shines on a set that includes covers of James Brown ("Ain't It Funky Now"), The Beatles ("A Day In The Life") and Burt Bacharach ("I'll Never Fall In Love Again"). Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optima.

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Ain't It Funky Now
• 2 A Day in the Life
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 The Windjammer
• 2 I'll Never Fall in Love Again
• 3 Dracula

This is Bill Evans' first trio date under his own name for Verve, and the deep communication he maintains throughout with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian, two brilliant rhythm players, is sublime. All of the songs are standards of one for or another, but Evans and Co. find a depth to them that's astonishing. Bill uses the spaces between phrases in a way that broadens and deepens the emotional content. Two outstanding examples of Bill's interpretive magic here are the novelty numbers "Little Lulu" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," which both acquire a warmth, scope of imagery and sardonic touch that enlivens their musical essence like never before. This all-analog 180g vinyl LP reissue was mastered from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, pressed at QRP, and comes housed in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket.

Tracks

1. Little Lulu
2. A Sleeping Bee
3. Always
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
5. I'll See You Again
6. For Heaven's Sake
7. Dancing In The Dark
8. Everything Happens To Me