Blue Note Records Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissues. Joe Harley co-founder of the acclaimed Music Matters Jazz audiophile vinyl label is the producer of this new series, handpicked titles mastered from the original master tapes on 180g Vinyl in deluxe covers. Mastering is done by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and vinyl is pressed at Record Technology Incorporated, RTI in the USA.

• Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series
• All Analog Mastering
• Cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Mastered From Original Analog Master Tapes
• Reissue supervised by Joe Harley (Music Matters)
• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl Pressed at RTI USA
• Deluxe Gatefold Cover
• Mono

The Blue Note Tone Poet 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 (from Music Matters), a.k.a. the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.

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 180-gram audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. 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. This is it!

"Per Don Was's direction, everything about this reissue series closely mirrors the Music Matters releases that so impressed Was..." - Michael Fremer, Analogplanet

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. Following his introduction on the two 10” LPs The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2., Nichols returned to Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack, New Jersey studio in August 1955 with drummer Max Roach and bassist Al McKibbon—and again in April 1956 with Roach and bassist Teddy Kotick—for sessions that produced Herbie Nichols Trio (BLP 1519). This 12” LP was another collection of idiosyncratic Nichols originals including “The Gig,” “House Party Starting,” “Wildflower,” and perhaps his best-known composition “Lady Sings the Blues” which was written for Billie Holiday.

This mono 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 gatefold tip-on jacket.

Musicians:

Herbie Nichols - piano
Al McKibbon - bass
Teddy Kotick - bass
Max Roach - drums

Track Listing:

A1: The Gig
A2: House Party Starting
A3: Chit-Chatting
A4: The Lady Sings The Blues
A5: Terpsichore
B1: Spinning Song
B2: Query
B3: Wildflower
B4: Hangover Triangle
B5: Mine

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫