Byrd, Donald: Byrd in Flight (Blue Note Tone Poet) LP

Blue Note was very lucky to have their Three Trumpeteers; Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard on the roster at the same time. Their combined, prolific output of albums, many of which attained classic status, is legendary. One constantly near the top of most lists is 1960's Byrd In Flight. Byrd decided to mix it up, with Jackie McLean (alto) on one date and Hank Mobley (tenor) on the second. Duke Pearson's signature smooth piano work appears across the board as does the reliable drumming of Lex Humphries. Reggie Workman and Doug Watkins split duties on bass. Both sessions resulted in classic be-bop romps, mostly on originals such as Byrd's Afro-Cuban tinged "Ghana" and "Lex," a song dedicated to drummer Humphries. Pearson contributes three solid cuts with "Gate City," "Bo and My Girl Shirl." The lone standard tackled, "Little Boy Blue" is given an intelligent yet playful injection of the quintet's personalities. Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series in 2020. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label's 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by Joe Harley (from Music Matters) and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing "Old Style" gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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. "The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session." - Joe Harley