If you love listening to jazz, the Blue Note Classic and Tone Poet Series reissues have been a treasure worth celebrating. Almost all of us here have spent way too much money on these remarkable albums over the past 2 years. The Tone Poet Series are certainly on the expensive side, but the Classic Reissue Series are almost all priced below $30 USD and it’s hard to argue with the sound quality and the titles that have been released so far.
Blue Note’s continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series offers affordable 180g vinyl reissues in standard packaging that are 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.
We recently interviewed Joe Harley and Kevin Gray who took Mitch Anderson and Eric Pye on a virtual tour of the entire Blue Note Tone Poet and Classic Vinyl Series process and it is a fascinating podcast.
The new Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series titles include some incredible jazz classics being released. 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.
Classic Vinyl Reissue Series – Release Schedule
October 1, 2021
- Duke Pearson – Merry Ole Soul (1969)
November 19, 2021 – Hard Bop
- Horace Silver – 6 Pieces of Silver (1956)
- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – The Big Beat (1960)
November 19, 2021 – The 70s
- Donald Byrd – Places and Spaces (1975)
- Bobbi Humphrey – Fancy Dancer (1975)
December 10, 2021 – Soul Jazz
- Jimmy Smith – Home Cookin’ (1958)
- Reuben Wilson – Love Bug (1969)
December 10, 2021 – Hidden Gems
- Herbie Nichols – The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (1955)
- Kenny Cox – Introducing Kenny Cox and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet (1968)
January 21, 2022 – The Avant-Garde
- Jackie McLean – Destination Out (1963)
- Don Cherry – Where Is Brooklyn? (1966)
February 18, 2022 – Post-Bop
- Joe Henderson – Inner Urge (1964)
- Lee Morgan – Caramba (1968)
March 18, 2022 – The Rebirth
- Cassandra Wilson – Blue Light ‘Til Dawn (1993)*
- Geri Allen – Twenty One (1994)*
April 15, 2022 – Bebop
- Milt Jackson – Milt Jackson With John Lewis, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, Lou Donaldson And The Thelonious Monk Quintet (1948-52)
- Bud Powell – Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 4 (1958)
*mastered from a digital source
Check Amazon for current titles, pre-orders and availability.
