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In honor of Blue Note Records' 80th Anniversary, in 2019, the Jazz label launched the "Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series". Blue Note President Don Was brought in "Tone Poet" Joe Harley—co-founder and co-producer of the acclaimed Music Matters Ltd. audiophile vinyl series—to produce this new series of all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180 gram audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) and vinyl is being manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).
The titles were handpicked by Harley and cover lesser-known Blue Note classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note catalog. Non-reissue titles may also be included.
Tremendous series, but if you’re using new equipment, especially cartridge/stylus, some of the titles may sound harsh or shrill. I’m using the new VM Series by Audio Technica. Treble has been reduced and bass adjusted. The sounds have changed dramatically. Not only have the highs become more distinguished, but the overall sound of the record is quite enhanced. I don’t know what’s going on here, I can only trust my ears. But it seems this new line of cartridge is extremely bright, but doesn’t sacrifice in other areas. Providing you get the proper balance out of your system. These new settings work on all my vinyl, no need to adjust for different genres or pressings. An avid Blue Note fan, all of these new reissues play great, but RVG is still the best IMHO.
Here is a YouTube doc about the making of the series, with a look into the entire process, including the pressing plant (RTI!) and the printers for the jackets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoNz3Kxiph4&t=7s
i have 27 tone poets in hand and another 12 on order... also have 28 classic/80's series with another 10 on order ... fantastic job Blue Note is doing on these.... have not found one with a defect yet, all flat clean and sound great.... unlike my bad luck with 75th anniversary series which had pops clicks and sound issues.... go get these and start a great jazz collection!
The Blue Note reissue series, Tone Poet and 80 Anniversary/Classic Vinyl series, offer great insight into previous jazz sessions and new artists. We grab these up quickly to enjoy these fabulous records. But, this influx of new LPs had me (+countless others) befuddled by the lack of clear sound reproduction on the tracks. The records looked fine, so I started looking hard at my stereo components. I learned pretty quickly (thru forums), to start at my TT. The tonearm was my biggest culprit, with antiquated headshell/cartridge combo sorely lacking in true sound reproduction. Sure, the stylus had been updated, but it was an aftermarket, cheap replacement for my vintage TT setup. A deep dive into the TT told me I needed to perform some basic maintenance; clean, inspect and lubricate where necessary. Next, the disassemble and reconstruction of the headshell/cartridge. Since these were severely outdated, I upgraded to the new VM cartridge/stylus from Audio Technica with headshell. I was new to all this tinkering on my stereo, but with the help of my local record shop owner and the internet, I carefully brought my TT up to snuff. Not only was my tonearm in need of this upgrade, what I didn’t know was that one of the leads going to my cartridge was broken! So I wasn’t getting full sound reproduction, and I was getting noise on these brand new, pristine records! Now, I’ve upgraded to both a conical (for older records) and elliptical headshell/cartridge combo that I can quickly change out for my listening pleasure. I realized the need to clean my records more often, even the new ones! I’m happy now, with a great sounding system to play these beautiful LPs. I did a lot of research and talking before doing the actual work. It wasn’t hard, and it def paid off. I didn’t have to return any LPs. Keep spinning vinyl!
i have 25 Tone Poets so far... i hope to get almost all of them... i hope they repress the Chet Baker and the handful that are currently out of stock. They have all arrived perfect.. no warps, no skips or pops... and the sound is fantastic... much better than the 75th BNR's that were sourced from digital files.
Partly odd choice of released titles so far. There art titles who need urgent reprint like JR Monterose, the first 3 albums of Lee Morgan, any mid 60´s albums of Andrew Hill, Dolphy´s Out to lunch, Hancock´s Empyrean Isles & Maiden Voyage, Moncur III ´s Evolution, McLean´s One Step Beyond & Destination Out etc.
Without having heard any release of this series, I can see why vinyl fans are excited – provided that quality control works. Still for me, there are some reservations. First, I find it somewhat narrow-minded not to release these remasters on CD (or on SACD or BR) as well. Second, if sticking to the original format is such a crucial concern, why bring them out as gatefolds which is definitely a deviation from the original? And third, since they are doing gatefolds, why not use them to include extra tracks on a second LP (for instance the eight tracks missing from the original recording sessions of Now He Sings, Now He Sobs)?
duffy-duck
25 octobre 2022