Blue Note's TONE POET series.

[sidewinder]

6 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

But those Pathés were water in a desert back then, to me at least 

Another fan of Tone Poets here.

 

Yes, indeed they were. I remember seeing the first batch at the RFH around 84/85 after a Miles Davis concert and buying 'Inner Urge' on the spot. These titles were literally mythical in the UK at that point unless you could snag scarce UA imports some years earlier. Heck, I was even desperate enough to buy 'Sixth Sense' as a Liberty deletion cassette (still have it).

The current vinyl reissue situation on Blue Note (plus related UA and Pacific Jazz releases) is literally a plethora of riches.

Edited August 29 by sidewinder

[David Ayers]

The famous DMMs! It was like the tide breaking, back then. 
 

Edit: come to think of it, the DMMs were a couple of years later, after the first more ‘normal’ issues. All very welcome.  

Edited August 29 by David Ayers

[Ken Dryden]

I finally ended up getting promo copies of two Tone Poet LPs.  While the pressings are better than most new 180 gram LPs, i don’t hear a warmer sound than the CD versions I have owned for years. I don’t have any interest in spending $35* per LP for music that I already have.

[David Ayers]

4 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

I finally ended up getting promo copies of two Tone Poet LPs.  While the pressings are better than most new 180 gram LPs, i don’t hear a warmer sound than the CD versions I have owned for years. I don’t have any interest in spending $35* per LP for music that I already have.

It's because they are promos. If you had paid full price they would sound really much better... 😉

Thanks, everyone, for your tips on these. Very much appreciated.

[Ken Dryden]

9 hours ago, David Ayers said:

It's because they are promos. If you had paid full price they would sound really much better... 😉

Thanks, everyone, for your tips on these. Very much appreciated.

LOL! 

At least the Tone Poet LPs are a better value than the dreadful RSD 2024 Gearbox LP that was supposedly Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Instead, it sounded like a pickup group centered around Andy Bey and the pressing was pure shit, with lots of loud pops and a few skips due to the extremely poor quality of manufacturing, likely due to not allow the LP to cool sufficiently.

Edited September 4 by Ken Dryden

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, I've had some Gearbox albums that sounded great and some that were pretty rough.

[mjazzg]

Me too. My impression is they were on top of the game at the beginning but lost quality control as they got bigger.

[clifford_thornton]

Basically this, yeah. The Tubby box is strong sounding at least

[sidewinder]

Gearbox did a good job on the Tubby Hayes Fontana box. I have pretty well all of the original LPs and think that the sonics of the box holds up fairly nicely in comparison.

I'll have to give that Blakey LP another listen. From memory the recording quality is not great and yes, it was a bit of an informal live session and lacking that usual 'Jazz Messengers' discipline.

[mjazzg]

5 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Basically this, yeah. The Tubby box is strong sounding at least

Yes, forgot about how you got yours ...

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Is the new Tone Poet release of Cliff Jordan the first time this session has been reissued in any form in the US since 1972?

https://store.bluenote.com/products/clifford-jordan-cliff-jordan-lp-blue-note-tone-poet-series

[Pim]

2 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Is the new Tone Poet release of Cliff Jordan the first time this session has been reissued in any form in the US since 1972?

https://store.bluenote.com/products/clifford-jordan-cliff-jordan-lp-blue-note-tone-poet-series

This Scorpio might be the exception

https://www.discogs.com/release/2172266-Cliff-Jordan-Cliff-Jordan

[Kevin Bresnahan]

45 minutes ago, Pim said:

This Scorpio might be the exception

https://www.discogs.com/release/2172266-Cliff-Jordan-Cliff-Jordan

I was never able to determine if those Scorpio pressings were legitimate. Michael Cuscuna wasn't involved with them and in my limited chats with him about their pedigree, he wasn't sure who was involved with those LPs. A few people have determined that they are all cut from digital sources and that wasn't something Blue Note normally did back then for LP cuts.

More than anything, I'm just wondering why this never made it onto any US CD release.

[clifford_thornton]

Scorpio is a bootleg operation.

[Pim]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

Scorpio is a bootleg operation.

How is that possible considering copyright and US law? And then to distribute on this scale? And Rainbo preses them that’s a pretty big company right? Would they participate in something illegal? Most of the ones I owned sounded pretty dull and lifeless.

jSangry shared this useful article:

https://vinyldiscovery.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-primer-on-rhinoscorpio-jazz-reissues.html?m=1

Edited November 4 by Pim

[colinmce]

I've never understood why that Jordan was never reissued on CD, seems a prime candidate (it was at one time considered for a Mosaic Select that never came to fruition). It's also been passed over many times in Japan in recent years. Still on the lookout for an affordable CD copy.

[Chuck Nessa]

13 minutes ago, colinmce said:

I've never understood why that Jordan was never reissued on CD, seems a prime candidate (it was at one time considered for a Mosaic Select that never came to fruition). It's also been passed over many times in Japan in recent years. Still on the lookout for an affordable CD copy.

Happy with my Toshiba RVG from about 20 years back.

[clifford_thornton]

33 minutes ago, Pim said:

How is that possible considering copyright and US law? And then to distribute on this scale? And Rainbo preses them that’s a pretty big company right? Would they participate in something illegal? Most of the ones I owned sounded pretty dull and lifeless.

jSangry shared this useful article:

https://vinyldiscovery.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-primer-on-rhinoscorpio-jazz-reissues.html?m=1

I am still suspect. It's pretty easy to bootleg records -- i.e., release stuff without properly licensing it. That article is interesting, though, and might mean that the issue is more complicated. The Scorpio Sun Ras are definitely unauthorized and sourced from digital masters, many of which were made for the Evidence CD program (different label, which also ran into some licensing issues by releasing more on CD than they were supposed to from the Saturn catalog). Hearing from the pressing plant that something is "licensed" reads weirdly -- the pressing plant taking Scorpio's money doesn't exactly instill confidence that what they're running off is wholly legit. In fact, I've never heard of a pressing plant caring whether or not their product was making royalties for the artist or label.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

3 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Scorpio is a bootleg operation.

I was pretty sure too. After all, there is no "Licensed from Blue Note Records" on them nor does it say "Scorpio Records" anywhere. If these were legit, they would say both of those things.

[Pim]

2 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

I am still suspect. It's pretty easy to bootleg records -- i.e., release stuff without properly licensing it. That article is interesting, though, and might mean that the issue is more complicated. The Scorpio Sun Ras are definitely unauthorized and sourced from digital masters, many of which were made for the Evidence CD program (different label, which also ran into some licensing issues by releasing more on CD than they were supposed to from the Saturn catalog). Hearing from the pressing plant that something is "licensed" reads weirdly -- the pressing plant taking Scorpio's money doesn't exactly instill confidence that what they're running off is wholly legit. In fact, I've never heard of a pressing plant caring whether or not their product was making royalties for the artist or label.

 

49 minutes ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I was pretty sure too. After all, there is no "Licensed from Blue Note Records" on them nor does it say "Scorpio Records" anywhere. If these were legit, they would say both of those things.

Well I am sincerely interested. Some of them had a Scorpio hype sticker I believe. I just can’t imagine a company could distribute an illegal product in these enormous quantities and selling them trough all kind of well known sellers. Especially because it’s not a European country with its more flexible PD laws but an American company. It would be a logical step for Blue Note to sue wouldn’t it be? And I think they have the financial capacity to make a case. If anyone has a contact at Blue Note I would really like to know what’s the story. After all I already started this 

 

[clifford_thornton]

Hard to say. Depends on whether it's worth it and what the licensing or non-licensing looked like. It can be a lot of work to put a stop to grey market releases once they're out in the world and in mass quantities. UMG could be paying more in lawyer fees than they'd recoup from Scorpio putting out unlicensed LP copies of Dippin'.

[jlhoots]

3 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Happy with my Toshiba RVG from about 20 years back.

So am I.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

3 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Happy with my Toshiba RVG from about 20 years back.

I have the TOCJ CD. The only way I would've bought a US CD is if they managed to find extra tracks. Well... maybe if they used the stereo master instead of the mono used for the TOCJ CD.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

On 11/4/2024 at 6:31 AM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

https://store.bluenote.com/products/clifford-jordan-cliff-jordan-lp-blue-note-tone-poet-series

From what I'm reading over on the Hoffman forums, they did use the stereo master tape for this LP.

Edited November 5 by Kevin Bresnahan

[dougcrates]

Blue Note Records announces the launch of the Tone Poet Society, a new subscription service dedicated to the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. Today, we’re also announcing the 2025 line-up of the acclaimed series which is produced by the “Tone Poet” Joe Harley and features definitive all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio, manufactured at RTI, and packaged in deluxe tip-on jackets.

Tone Poet Society members can select between four tiers with monthly, 3-month, 6-month, or annual subscriptions that offer increasingly more savings and benefits. All members will receive two Tone Poet titles per month from the Blue Note Store with exclusive perks including free shipping prior to retail release, special store discounts, behind-the-scenes content, access to quarterly Tone Poet Society Exclusive limited-edition releases, and more. The membership is available to U.S. customers only at this time. Learn more at TonePoetSociety.com.

The 2025 titles were once again handpicked by Harley and include acknowledged treasures of the Blue Note catalog as well as underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz, Capitol, and Intro. Newly announced titles begin January 3 with the release of Andrew Hill’s 1968 album Grass Roots and The Jazz Crusaders’ 1961 debut Freedom Sound, both of which will be available for individual pre-order on the Blue Note Store this Friday, November 15. The Q1 Tone Poet Society Exclusive release is pianist Walter Davis Jr.’s hard bop gem Davis Cup, which is limited to 1,000 individually numbered copies, packaged in a gatefold jacket adorned with a Tone Poet Society Exclusive gold foil stamp, and comes with a lithographic print of a session photo by Francis Wolff.

“We heard your requests for a Tone Poet subscription and are excited to launch the Tone Poet Society to offer fans exclusive releases and a behind-the-scenes perspective into the series,” says Harley. “The 2025 releases include some of my all-time favorite recordings from the Blue Note family of labels. There are so many gems, some are well-known titles from the Blue Note vaults, others may be new to you. Wait ‘til you hear Teddy Edwards’ Sunset Eyes and Curtis Amy and Frank Butler’s Groovin’ Blue! And we finally dip into the Capitol Records jazz vault with the release of Blue Serge, Serge Chaloff’s masterpiece featuring Sonny Clark, Philly Joe Jones, and Leroy Vinnegar. Do keep your eyes and ears open for a couple very special additions to the line-up that will be announced next year.”

Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series – 2025 Release Schedule:

Q1 TONE POET SOCIETY EXCLUSIVE: Walter Davis Jr. – Davis Cup (1959)

January 3, 2025

The Jazz Crusaders – Freedom Sound (Pacific Jazz, 1961)

Andrew Hill – Grass Roots (Blue Note, 1968)

February 7, 2025

Dizzy Reece – Blues In Trinity (Blue Note, 1958)

Horace Parlan – Up & Down (Blue Note, 1961)

March 7, 2025

Curtis Amy & Frank Butler – Groovin’ Blue (Pacific Jazz, 1960-61)

Hank Mobley – Third Season (Blue Note, 1967)

Q2 TONE POET SOCIETY EXCLUSIVE: TBA

April 4, 2025

Art Pepper – Modern Art (Intro, 1956-57)

Teddy Edwards – Sunset Eyes (Pacific Jazz, 1960)

May 2, 2025

Leo Parker – Rollin’ With Leo (Blue Note, 1961)

Grachan Moncur III – Some Other Stuff (Blue Note, 1964)

June 6, 2025

Andrew Hill – Andrew!!! (Blue Note, 1964)

Serge Chaloff – Blue Serge (Capitol, 1956)

Q3 TONE POET SOCIETY EXCLUSIVE: TBA

July 4, 2025

Sam Rivers – A New Conception (Blue Note, 1966)

Dexter Gordon – Landslide (Blue Note, 1961-62)

August 1, 2025

Horace Silver – The Tokyo Blues (Blue Note, 1962)

Jackie McLean – Jacknife (Blue Note, 1965)

September 5, 2025

Chico Hamilton – Chico Hamilton Quintet (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

Don Cherry – Complete Communion (Blue Note, 1965)

Q4 TONE POET SOCIETY EXCLUSIVE: TBA

October 3, 2025

Stanley Turrentine – In Memory Of (Blue Note, 1964)

Bobby Hutcherson – Montara (Blue Note, 1975)

November 7, 2025

Duke Jordan – Flight to Jordan (Blue Note, 1960)

Sheila Jordan – Portrait of Sheila (Blue Note, 1962)

December 5, 2025

Donald Byrd – At The Half Note Café, Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1960)

Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound (Blue Note, 2021)