Hill, Andrew: Passing Ships (2LP/Tone Poet Series) LP

Andrew Hill is one of the most distinctive pianists and composing talents in jazz. Yet this profoundly moving session recorded in 1969 sat unreleased until 2003 when it was finally issued on CD through the efforts of Blue Note archivist Michael Cuscuna. Hill penned all seven of Passing Ships' compositions for an ensemble featuring Woody Shaw and Dizzy Reece on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Joe Farrell on saxes, flute and bass clarinet, Howard Johnson on tuba, Bob Northern on French horn, Ron Carter on bass, and Lenny White on drums. Passing Ships stands comparison to Hill's greatest work, and is presented for the first time on vinyl with this Tone Poet Edition.

Blue Note Records' acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2021. 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