The Blue Note Thread

Just got the Kenny Burrell TP that came out Friday, spinning it now and it sounds really great. Only have that and the Babyface one so far, which TP do you folks reccomend next? I have a decent pressing of Cornbread so probably not that.

Also what's the deal with the 80th pressings, are those any good? The Music Matters series are way too rich for me.

Finally, could someone please share the link to the doc that has all the new Blue Note releases if it's easy? Gracias!
 
SanSeattle said:
Just got the Kenny Burrell TP that came out Friday, spinning it now and it sounds really great. Only have that and the Babyface one so far, which TP do you folks reccomend next? I have a decent pressing of Cornbread so probably not that.

Also what's the deal with the 80th pressings, are those any good? The Music Matters series are way too rich for me.

Finally, could someone please share the link to the doc that has all the new Blue Note releases if it's easy? Gracias!
Click to expand...
Somebody here (I'm sorry, I've forgotten the username!) maintains this, which is an amazing resource:

2019-2020 Jazz Reissues

edit: St. Paul Browns made this!
 
SanSeattle said:
Just got the Kenny Burrell TP that came out Friday, spinning it now and it sounds really great. Only have that and the Babyface one so far, which TP do you folks reccomend next? I have a decent pressing of Cornbread so probably not that.

Also what's the deal with the 80th pressings, are those any good? The Music Matters series are way too rich for me.

Finally, could someone please share the link to the doc that has all the new Blue Note releases if it's easy? Gracias!
Click to expand...
Here's a link to the 2019-20 Jazz Reissue Spreadsheet (I try to update it at least a couple of times a week).

Of the Tone Poets, I have Cornbread, Introducing Kenny Burrell and Etcetera - I try to refrain from hyperbole, but these are some of the best sounding albums in my collection. (And I have a couple of MM pressings.)

Of the BN80s, I picked up Dexter Gordon Doin' Allright, Herbie Hancock Takin' Off, Freddie Hubbard Open Sesame and Grant Green Grant's First Stand. While not quite to the same standard as the Tone Poets, they are VERY good pressings. So much better than than the BN75s. And at $21-23/each, I just can't stop buying them!

There are a LOT of great titles coming up in both series. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up any of these reissues.
 
Could you guys help with letting me know if these are indeed the Tone Poet reissues?

If so I think it would be the cheapest prices I can find in Europe (free shipping) - I'm almost sure, just not certain about Lee Morgan as there was a recent pressing as well.

www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling | Dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Et Cetera | Dodax.nl

Et Cetera voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

- if anyone in Europe has seen cheaper than 26.43 let me know!

----

edit: to answer my own question that lee morgan is TP for sure, as they have another listing which I've just found for the earlier modern press
www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

Sweet deal i think!
 
Last edited:
I'd say yes by the release dates these are Tone Poets , can't help with prices, but sure someone will chime in .
uvwxVinyl said:
Could you guys help with letting me know if these are indeed the Tone Poet reissues?

If so I think it would be the cheapest prices I can find in Europe (free shipping) - I'm almost sure, just not certain about Lee Morgan as there was a recent pressing as well.

www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling | Dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Et Cetera | Dodax.nl

Et Cetera voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

- if anyone in Europe has seen cheaper than 26.43 let me know!

----

edit: to answer my own question that lee morgan is TP for sure, as they have another listing which I've just found for the earlier modern press
www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

Sweet deal i think!
Click to expand...
 
By the way nice price on this book for anyone in Germany (28€) - depending on shipping perhaps it works out well for others as well:

Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939: Amazon.de: Richard Havers: Fremdsprachige Bücher

Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939 | Richard Havers | ISBN: 9780500517444 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon.
www.amazon.de

I remember posting this previously for the Americans on the old forum amazon.com when it was around $25.
 
uvwxVinyl said:
By the way nice price on this book for anyone in Germany (28€) - depending on shipping perhaps it works out well for others as well:

Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939: Amazon.de: Richard Havers: Fremdsprachige Bücher

Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression: The Finest in Jazz Since 1939 | Richard Havers | ISBN: 9780500517444 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon.
www.amazon.de

I remember posting this previously for the Americans on the old forum amazon.com when it was around $25.
Click to expand...

I tried ordering it, but they won't ship to the Netherlands. Perhaps they only ship in Germany ☹
 
SanSeattle said:
Just got the Kenny Burrell TP that came out Friday, spinning it now and it sounds really great. Only have that and the Babyface one so far, which TP do you folks reccomend next? I have a decent pressing of Cornbread so probably not that.

Also what's the deal with the 80th pressings, are those any good? The Music Matters series are way too rich for me.

Finally, could someone please share the link to the doc that has all the new Blue Note releases if it's easy? Gracias!
Click to expand...

I have picked up all the TP's so far apart from the Cassandra Wilson. They are all really top quality so it will be more of your personal preference over one sounding better than the others. My personal favorites so far have been the Lee Morgan - Cornbread and Joe Henderson – The State of the Tenor (Im a fan of live jazz recordings).

uvwxVinyl said:
Could you guys help with letting me know if these are indeed the Tone Poet reissues?

If so I think it would be the cheapest prices I can find in Europe (free shipping) - I'm almost sure, just not certain about Lee Morgan as there was a recent pressing as well.

www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling | Dodax.nl

Mr. Shing-A-Ling voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

www.dodax.nl

Et Cetera | Dodax.nl

Et Cetera voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

- if anyone in Europe has seen cheaper than 26.43 let me know!

----

edit: to answer my own question that lee morgan is TP for sure, as they have another listing which I've just found for the earlier modern press
www.dodax.nl

Cornbread | Dodax.nl

Cornbread voor . Koop nu!
www.dodax.nl www.dodax.nl

Sweet deal i think!
Click to expand...

I have typically been paying around the £25 - £26 mark all in for the TP's here in the UK. Its mainly been swooping in on the various Amazon Europe price drops, and I also got a stack (3 plus the Andrew Hill – Black Fire pre-order) from amazon US that came in at £26 each inc shipping (I also had a voucher they sent as an apology for a previous order error so this took a bit off the £26 average). The prices you found seem decent (does that include shipping?) but if you wanted to scout out the others in the future I use this https://www.hagglezon.com/ to compare prices of amazon europe plus https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/ to see the cheapest they have dropped to.

Also worth checking eBay out as I have seen a couple TP's go for a fair price on there as well.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Not sure if this was posted on this thread or not, but The New York Times published a story on Blue Note's 80th Anniversary a couple of days ago:

Blue Note Records at 80: Can a Symbol of Jazz’s Past Help Shape Its Future?
The genre is in a state of diffusion and streaming dominates listening habits. But Blue Note is still dedicated to influencing the music’s path forward.
Click to expand...
This was a wonderfully entertaining article to read. Thank you so much for sharing it!

I added a couple of new albums just based on the article's descriptions :)
 
seeirwin said:
I did a needle drop of the first two tracks of Introducing Johnny Griffin with both the BN 80 and MMJ SRX, in case anyone is interested. Here are the FLAC files.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe these were both mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio and plated at RTI. The BN80 was then pressed at optimal on standard vinyl and the MMJ was pressed at RTI on SRX vinyl.

A version

Another version

Edit: signal chain was Thorens TD-125 mk with a Jelco 850s arm and Dynavector 20x2H into my trusty Sansui 2000x. I took the preamp out into a Scarlett USB interface.
Click to expand...
I like these blind sample tests you post. My take on this one after a quick listen: I prefer the mastering on the second version. Seems more dynamic, punchier. I feel like the first one may be the SRX, though.
 
seeirwin said:
I'm glad you enjoy the blind samples!

Time for the reveal: the first was BN80 and the second was SRX.
Click to expand...

That’s really interesting.

As an aside, I was listening to the Joe Harley episode of ‘the vinyl guide’ podcast a while ago (as recommended by someone else on the forum). They didn’t use SRX for the Tone Poet series, only the Music Matters. I think he said the cost of the SRX is so much, he didn’t even bother recommending it to Blue Note (given the pricing model if MM’s, I suspect he is more likely trying to justify the retail costs).

I’m a big fan of both the Tone poet and the BN80’s but haven’t heard the Music Matters. TBH I can’t imagine the Tone Poet sounding much different to the SRX, but would be interested to know what anyone thinks who has both.
 
Andy said:
That’s really interesting.

As an aside, I was listening to the Joe Harley episode of ‘the vinyl guide’ podcast a while ago (as recommended by someone else on the forum). They didn’t use SRX for the Tone Poet series, only the Music Matters. I think he said the cost of the SRX is so much, he didn’t even bother recommending it to Blue Note (given the pricing model if MM’s, I suspect he is more likely trying to justify the retail costs).
Click to expand...

Yeah thats right. He set out a price point in mind for the final product then worked backwards to see what would be viable to obtain that.
 
Andy said:
That’s really interesting.

As an aside, I was listening to the Joe Harley episode of ‘the vinyl guide’ podcast a while ago (as recommended by someone else on the forum). They didn’t use SRX for the Tone Poet series, only the Music Matters. I think he said the cost of the SRX is so much, he didn’t even bother recommending it to Blue Note (given the pricing model if MM’s, I suspect he is more likely trying to justify the retail costs).

I’m a big fan of both the Tone poet and the BN80’s but haven’t heard the Music Matters. TBH I can’t imagine the Tone Poet sounding much different to the SRX, but would be interested to know what anyone thinks who has both.
Click to expand...
While I'm not an expert by any stretch and my records outstrip my gear :) i do have the full series of MMJ 33rpm and the SRX. I only have a couple of the 45. There is an additional level of clarity as an average across the SRX. Some of 33 come close to equaling it but broadly, I've found the MMJ 33 and the tone poet to be closer in quality.

Is the SRX worth the money? For me, I have to admit it coming down as much to the simple thrill of the record, as to an improvement in the quality. For example, on the Horace Silver, Song for My Father, the sound is stunning... And you can hear a tape flaw at the end of two tracks... (They posted a warning with the record)... and the record, the music, is still insanely gorgeous. Also, barring a lottery win I'm never going to own a perfect original :)

Not sure if that helps. They give me joy and I'm sure there is some confirmation bias in the sound evaluation. They are pretty stunning but probably not 2x the TP sound quality -- just different. The music though? That Kenny Dirham... Ooof. Joy.
 
HuddieLedbetter said:
While I'm not an expert by any stretch and my records outstrip my gear :) i do have the full series of MMJ 33rpm and the SRX. I only have a couple of the 45. There is an additional level of clarity as an average across the SRX. Some of 33 come close to equaling it but broadly, I've found the MMJ 33 and the tone poet to be closer in quality.

Is the SRX worth the money? For me, I have to admit it coming down as much to the simple thrill of the record, as to an improvement in the quality. For example, on the Horace Silver, Song for My Father, the sound is stunning... And you can hear a tape flaw at the end of two tracks... (They posted a warning with the record)... and the record, the music, is still insanely gorgeous. Also, barring a lottery win I'm never going to own a perfect original :)

Not sure if that helps. They give me joy and I'm sure there is some confirmation bias in the sound evaluation. They are pretty stunning but probably not 2x the TP sound quality -- just different. The music though? That Kenny Dirham... Ooof. Joy.
Click to expand...
Really interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to write that up. Tends to be pretty tricky to find any MM stuff over here in the UK, but the Tone Poets seem much more accessible (and the price tends to stay the same with them not being limited).

FYI, I know this wasn't really the point you were making but you might be surprised at how much the OG pressings of Horace Silver - Song for My Father goes for, its quite affordable compared with some of the more well known Blue Notes. Theres a VG+/VG+ listed on discogs now for $85.00, and assuming the seller graded it correctly I bet it plays through without issues. Might be a nice treat.
 
HuddieLedbetter said:
While I'm not an expert by any stretch and my records outstrip my gear :) i do have the full series of MMJ 33rpm and the SRX. I only have a couple of the 45. There is an additional level of clarity as an average across the SRX. Some of 33 come close to equaling it but broadly, I've found the MMJ 33 and the tone poet to be closer in quality.

Is the SRX worth the money? For me, I have to admit it coming down as much to the simple thrill of the record, as to an improvement in the quality. For example, on the Horace Silver, Song for My Father, the sound is stunning... And you can hear a tape flaw at the end of two tracks... (They posted a warning with the record)... and the record, the music, is still insanely gorgeous. Also, barring a lottery win I'm never going to own a perfect original :)

Not sure if that helps. They give me joy and I'm sure there is some confirmation bias in the sound evaluation. They are pretty stunning but probably not 2x the TP sound quality -- just different. The music though? That Kenny Dirham... Ooof. Joy.
Click to expand...
Absolutely agreed. I own four MMJ Shorter pressings (Adam’s Apple SRX, JuJu 45rpm, Night Dreamer 45rpm, & Speak No Evil 33&1/3) and I stand by that the SRX Adam’s Apple sounds the best.

The percussion seems more clear and alive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top