Blue Note US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Jazz heads might well be familiar with the name of Herbie Nichols Trio these days but during his playing career, he was far less celebrated outside hardcore circles. The American pianist sure had a unique style and deserves to now have more recognition for his work, which he will get as Tone Poet - Blue Note's reissue arm - serves up a repress of his innovative self-titled mid-1950s release on the label. Max Roach is on drums for this one with bassists Al McKibbon and Teddy Kotick and the whole thing has been remastered from the original analog tapes so it has never sounded better.

Review: It was 10 years into his career that Horace Silver made this album - the one that many regard as one of his very best - at the famous Van Gelder Studio with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and Roy Brooks. It captured his quintet's transition and came a year ahed of another recording session that gave rise to his definitive hit, 'Song For My Father', which is also included as a tribute to his father, who was of Cape Verdean heritage. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is an all analogue affair that has been remastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, so sounds superb.

Review: 1966 is when Lee Morgan laid down this immensely sleek and beautiful record for Blue Note, but it was shelved until, amazingly, 1984. Next to the trumpeter himself, the quintet here features Hank Mobley on tenor sax, plus Cedar Walton on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. They are all in fine fettle and the record has a number of standout tunes such as the Duke Pearson gem 'Is That So' and the lush title track by Morgan. This is another essential reissue from the on going Blue Note Tone Poet Series which paces high focus on the wealthy of each recording.

Review: Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder LP is actually a comeback record from one of Blue NOte's most regular and esteemed artists. A famously good hard bop trumpeter, he was a real master of his instrument who played with the Jazz Messengers as well as on his own, often as a tie man on various other fine Blue Note albums. This album came after he retuned to New York in late 1963 and was recorded with the up-and-coming Joe Henderson. It was an outlier to the rest of his catalogue and was a leftfield hit that was also used on a high-profile automobile ad campaign, thus helping to save the cash strapped Blue Note label itself.