Blue Note’s Tone Poet Audiophile Series To Continue In 2020

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the lauded Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020, starting with titles by Hank Mobley and Stanley Turrentine.

Launched this year as part of the label’s 80th anniversary celebrations, the series is produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, 180 gram audiophile vinyl reissues, mastered from original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, California, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold tip-on jackets.

Harley has again handpicked the upcoming titles in the series, which feature landmarks from the Blue Note catalogue alongside underrated classics and standouts from the modern era. Also featured are albums released on other labels under the Blue Note umbrella, such as Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records.

The 2020 release schedule will kick off with the 24 January release of Hank Mobley Poppin’ (1957) and the 1961 album Stanley Turrentine Comin’ Your Way, both of which are available for pre-order.

“If this first reissue in the series, saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s 1965 classic Etcetera is anything to go on, this is going to be a wonderful thing for jazz fans and audiophiles,” wrote Paste. Added Stereophile: “One of an initial pair of releases in Blue Note’s new Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, Etcetera’s new LP incarnation gets the royal treatment…an excellent 180 gram pressing.”

Other jazz outlets were equally admiring. Analog Planet described the series launch as “an auspicious start for what is sure to be a vital ‘must have’ series.” Absolute Sound said: “With heavy sleeves and heavy vinyl, vinyl collectors will get the sense of holding a substantial product while placing these platters on their turntables.”

Audiophilia added of one particular album in the series: “This Tone Poet release, pianist Andrew Hill’s 1964 Blue Note debut Black Fire, is a perfect example of everything this series gets astoundingly right…the listener is rewarded with a rich and engaging audio experience…these are an incredible deal, and audiophile jazz fans have a lot to look forward to now that a major label is tackling reissues at a quality previously only seen from small boutique operations.”

Hank Mobley Poppin’ (1957) and Stanley Turrentine Comin’ Your Way (1961) are released in the Tone Poet series on 24 January.

Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series – 2020 Release Schedule:

January 24
Hank Mobley – Poppin’ (Blue Note, 1957)
Stanley Turrentine – Comin’ Your Way (Blue Note, 1961)

February 28
Chet Baker – Chet Baker Sings (Pacific Jazz, 1954-56)
Grant Green – Nigeria (Blue Note, 1962)

March 27
Duke Ellington – Money Jungle (United Artists, 1962)
Herbie Hancock – The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969)

April 24
Lee Morgan – The Cooker (Blue Note, 1957)
Dr. Lonnie Smith – All In My Mind (Blue Note, 2017)

May 22
Stanley Turrentine – That’s Where It’s At (Blue Note, 1962)
Joe Henderson – The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1985)

June 26
Bobby Hutcherson – The Kicker (Blue Note, 1963)
Jackie McLean – It’s Time (Blue Note, 1964)

July 24
Horace Silver – Further Explorations (Blue Note, 1958)
Jimmy Smith – Prayer Meetin’ (Blue Note, 1963)

August 28
Herbie Hancock – My Point of View (Blue Note, 1963)
Duke Pearson – The Phantom (Blue Note, 1968)

September 25
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Roots & Herbs (Blue Note, 1961)
Bobby Hutcherson – Oblique (Blue Note, 1967)

October 23
Tina Brooks – The Waiting Game (Blue Note, 1961)
McCoy Tyner – Tender Moments (Blue Note, 1967)

November 20
Donald Byrd – Byrd In Flight (Blue Note, 1960)
Lee Morgan – The Rajah (Blue Note, 1966)

December 11
Paul Chambers – Bass On Top (Blue Note, 1957)
John Scofield & Pat Metheny – I Can See Your House From Here (Blue Note, 1993)

Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series – 2019 Releases:

Wayne Shorter – Etcetera (Blue Note, 1965)
Chick Corea – Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Solid State, 1968)
Sam Rivers – Contours (Blue Note, 1965)
Gil Evans – New Bottle Old Wine (World Pacific, 1958)
Cassandra Wilson – Glamoured (Blue Note, 2003)
Joe Henderson – The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1985)
Lou Donaldson – Mr. Shing-A-Ling (Blue Note, 1967)
Lee Morgan – Cornbread (Blue Note, 1965)
Baby Face Willette – Face To Face (Blue Note, 1961)
Dexter Gordon – Clubhouse (Blue Note, 1965)
Kenny Burrell – Introducing Kenny Burrell (Blue Note, 1956)
Andrew Hill – Black Fire (Blue Note, 1963)
Donald Byrd – Chant (Blue Note, 1961)
Stanley Turrentine – Hustlin’ (Blue Note, 1964)
Grant Green – Born to Be Blue (Blue Note, 1962)
Tina Brooks – Minor Move (Blue Note, 1958)

Format: UK English