Out of the Blue and Landslide were replacements for records that I had let slip through my fingertips over the years. I had an original mint pressing of Out of the Blue that I bought for $5 maybe 40 years ago – and immediately traded for a record that was not equal in value. It has been a hole in my collection ever since. With Landslide, I had one of those Liberty pressings with the white cover, and I just never took to those pressings and wound up selling most of them when I pared down my collection a few years ago.

I figured I could replace those records and check out the Tone Poet Series and also share my observations here, killing a few birds with two purchases of about $39 for Landslide and $28 for Out of the Blue. The records arrived in the mail with promotional material on the outside promising wonderful things once opened: “Cut Directly from The Original Analog Tapes; Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder; Reissue Supervised by Joe Harley; Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio; Manufactured at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) on 180 Gram Vinyl.”

I quite like the packaging on the Tone Poet Series. These two records have slick gatefold covers. On the inside are Francis Wolff photos from the original sessions. The covers are the “originals,” although there was no real original pressing of Landslide since it was not released at the time it was recorded. Both records have the original liner notes on the back, Landslide being from the 1980 issue. I’m not an audiophile by any notion, although I have a great system, and to my ears these pressings sound great. If I was starting out as a collector today and couldn’t afford original pressings of Blue Notes – who can? – I’d certainly be pleased with these pressings.

Same goes for the two records I bought that were part of the Classic Vinyl Series, Roll Call and Serenade to a Soul Sister. I never had an original pressing of Roll Call – although I think I’ve just fixed that with a new purchase (more to come later). I had a copy of Serenade to a Soul Sister, but it wasn’t in great shape and I sold it a few years back hoping to replace it. As with the Tone Poet Series, this reissue is a suitable replacement. It has the original packaging, cover, liner notes, and it sounds good to these ears. The promo on the cover speaks to it: “Audiophile Vinyl Reissues from the Finest in Jazz Since 1939. Mastered from The original Analog Tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio; 180 Gram Vinyl.”

Finally, the promo on the shrink wrap of the Horace Silver discovery tells a it all:

“Previously unissued fiery live sets with powerhouse Horace Silver Band in 1965. Deluxe 180-gram LP transferred from the original tapes and mastered by Matthew Luthans. Stunning broadcast quality recording captured 60 years ago! Liner notes by jazz scholar Bob Blumenthal, and statements by Roger Humphries, Randy Brecker, Alvin Queen and Sullivan Fortner.”

Fiery and powerhouse. Quite a combination. Quite a package as well. In addition to the record, there is a 16-page booklet with all of those liner notes described above. It is a great set and it is well recorded, so if you’re a Horace Silver fan, I would definitely recommend it. It’s the quintet that featured Silver on piano, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has dipped a few toes into these new waters, so if any of the regular readers and commenters are out there, I would definitely be interested in hearing your opinions.

The post Old and New Vinyl, Blue Note Style first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/old-and-new-vinyl-blue-note-style/feed/ 2 9945 https://jazzcollector.com/podcast/podcast-all-the-things-must-pass/ https://jazzcollector.com/podcast/podcast-all-the-things-must-pass/#respond Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:25:34 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9846 This week’s theme: All the Things You Are in multiple settings. Featured artists include Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Bill [...]

This week I indulge myself with a show for my very own birthday. In the past I’ve played tracks recorded on Feb. 4, including Miles Davis Milestones. But two years in, I’ve dipped into that well too often. So this year, the focus is on the year I was born, 1953. As I say on the Podcast, it was a very good year for jazz and boys from Queens. Also a great chance to focus on 10-inch records from the collection. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Curley Russell, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Dodge, Ron Crotty, Jay Jay Johnson, Jimmy Heath, Gil Coggins, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce, Charlie Parker, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Chet Baker, Russ Freeman, Carson Smith, Larry Bunker, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Jummy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, George Syran, Teddy Kotick, Nick Stabulas.

This week’s theme: Exploring recent vinyl reissues from Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside. Featured artists include Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Dave Burns, Ron Carter, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Kelly, Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin, Julian Priester, Joe Chambers, Jimmy Ponder, Horace Silver, Stanley Turrentine, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Miles Davis, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Red, Sam Jones, Roy Brooks.

Along the same vein, I took note of two things. First, I discovered a label called The Lost Recordings while doing a search on John Coltrane. On their web page it states: “We travel the world in search of rare or previously unreleased recordings by legendary artists. Using our unique restoration process, we bring this priceless heritage back to life.” I will say, for the record, although they refer to the heritage as priceless, every one of their issues does, indeed, have a price.

They have a ton of stuff, available on vinyl, CDs, and/or downloads, including material by Coltrane, Stan Getz, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more. Perhaps I am the last one on the  Jazz Collector site to know about them, but I am certainly tempted to check them out and report back here. Perhaps Coltrane Live in Finland, a double vinyl? Or Dexter Gordon and Donald Byrd, a Berlin Studio session from 1963? Just going on their site, I was feeling I could be sliding down a rabbit hole of good and interesting music. And, of course, this being the week of Black Friday in the U.S., everything seems to be on sale.

I also discovered something called the Muse Master Edition Series. They don’t seem to have their own web site yet, but it looks to me like there are at least five reissues, available at places like Acoustic Sounds or elsewhere. Titles are by Roy Brooks, Kenny Barron, Carlos Garnett, Woody Shaw, and Joe Chambers. None of these interests me, but if they get deeper into the catalogue, I’m sure there will be something that’s intriguing. That’s just the way it goes, sometimes.

The post New Old Jazz, Or Old New Jazz, on Vinyl first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/new-old-jazz-or-old-new-jazz-on-vinyl/feed/ 2 9773 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/favorite-blue-notes-one-more-once/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/favorite-blue-notes-one-more-once/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:54:50 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9759 I figure if I keep writing about Blue Notes and putting Blue Notes in the headline, I’ll start scoring well on Google and all of [...]

I figure if I keep writing about Blue Notes and putting Blue Notes in the headline, I’ll start scoring well on Google and all of a sudden the many people who have abandoned Jazz Collector in the past year or so will come charging back. Or not. In any case, to follow up on yesterday’s post and some of the comments, I’ve narrowed down my list of Top Ten Blue Notes and I believe I can settle soon on a Top Ten.  Seven of them are known because they were on the list I began compiling in February 2010 (More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat). Hard to believe that was nearly 16 years ago. My tastes haven’t changed in all those years.

I am not going to reveal the Top Ten list here in this post, but, instead, will wait until I do the actual radio show/podcast, which means I have to figure out the best way to bring the music into the studio. Here is how I’m progressing on that. I realize I have in my collection Japanese versions of Art Blakey Blue Note 4003 and Reddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. As for Dexter Gordon Our Man in Paris, Donald Byrd A New Perspective, Art Blakey Buhaina’s Delight, and anything by Horace Silver, I’ve already brought them into the studio and nothing happened, so I’ll be comfortable with them.

John Coltrane Blue Train, I’m not so sure. Maybe a CD, to be on the safe side. Perhaps CDs or alternate versions for a few others  as well. For example, if I were to include anything by Tina Brooks, I have the Mosaic boxed set on vinyl.

In case I go for Sonny Clark, I just ordered The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions on Mosaic. It was unavailable for a while and recently made available again. I have no idea how that works, but it’s not an issue for me to worry about.

The Sonny Clark is a CD set. I figure it’s a good one to have in case I ever want to bring any Sonny Clark recordings into the studio for the radio show or if I ever fall into an irreversible coma and my family wants to sell my original copies. Of course, I’d rather them pull the plug on me before selling my original Sonny Clark LPs, but at that point I’ll be in no condition to make any demands. Once the Sonny Clark CD set arrives in the mail, I’ll be able to do the show. Whilst we wait, you are all free to speculate and to include your own lists as well.

The post Favorite Blue Notes, One More Once first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

First was the AI overview. It started out like this: “A list of ten favorite Blue Note records can be compiled from various jazz enthusiast lists, such as one from HifiZine, which includes titles like Wayne Shorter’s Adams Apple and Horace Silver’s “Cape Verdean Blues.”

OK, fair enough.

Here’s the next sentence: “Another source, jazzcollector.com, presents additional favorites, often highlighting specific artists and albums based on expert recommendations.”

All right. I feel like I made it to the big time. AI and all that. Right at the top.

Not only that, there was a link in the AI overview to a Jazz Collector article from February 2010. I’d forgotten about the article completely. Even better, the very first reference sited in the Google search was that very same article from February 2010, titled “More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat.” And If you click on the link, as I did and as you should do as well, you will find the article describing a Downbeat issue from March of 2009.

While I had the general gist right, the premise was a bit off: It wasn’t a list of my TEN favorite Blue Notes, it was a list of MY FAVORITE BLUE NOTE ALBUM. As you will see if you clink the link, they asked a bunch of jazz musicians. Fascinating replies, with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Horace Silver leading the way. In that post, I was the one who corrupted the concept by listing my seven “Finalists” for my favorite Blue Note, but not necessarily making a decision on a single one. There are also 13 comments on the post. And perhaps we will get more comments here, if anybody is still watching.

Anyway, that solves one of my challenges in doing the show on my 10 Favorite Blue Notes. I’m make progress on solving the other challenges as well and I hope to be doing the show on the radio in the next few weeks. How am I resolving those challenges? Choosing the 10 records and playing them in the studio?

Stay tuned.

This week’s theme: Part two of a two-part celebration of my father’s 100th birthday. Featured artists include Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Carmel Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Brown Jr., Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Randy Weston, Cecil Payne, Lockjaw Davis, Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance, and many more.

This week’s theme: Part one of a two-part celebration of my father’s 100th birthday. Also a reminder to read Song For My Father from the Jazz Collector archives. Featured artists include Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Tal Farlow, Buddy DeFranco, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Red Garland, Bobby Timmons, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Wes Montgomery, Wynton Kelly, Modern Jazz Quartet, Jimmy Smith, Richie Cole, Kenny Burrell, and many, many more.

This week’s theme: Songs that reference cities and countries around the world, i.e., St. Thomas, Barbados, Spain, Tokyo Blues. You get the hint. Featured artists include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Horace Silver, Junior Cook, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Harold Land, Richie Powell, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Chick Correa, Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell, Airto, Flora Purim, and many more.