It’s a Jazz thing — Inside the Blue Note ‘Tone Poet Series’
How jazz can help you get through a pandemic
There’s a lovely clip of, legendary jazz pianist, Herbie Hancock talking about a show in Stuttgart with Miles Davis:
Miles is in the middle of one of his incredible trumpet solos, during a version of “So What”. Suddenly, Herbie plays completely the “wrong” chord on the piano. Horrified by his mistake, Herbie stops playing and holds his head in his hands. After hearing it, Miles pauses his solo for a split second, then completely changes course — playing notes which make Herbie’s “wrong” notes sound right.
“Miles didn’t hear it as a mistake, he heard it as something that happened, just an event, and so that was part of the reality of what was happening at that moment, and he dealt with it”.
Hancock says this had a profound effect on him, on how he viewed music and life:
“ We can look for the world to be as we’d like it to be — make it easy for me! — the important thing is that we can grow, and the only way we can grow is to have a mind that is open enough to experience situations as they are, and turn them into medicine. Take whatever situation you have, and make something constructive happen with it. That’s what I learned from that situation with Miles.”
Hopefully, we can all learn from the jazz maestro and apply the same positive mindset to this pandemic.
Blue Note Tone Poet Series LPs
We have a great selection of the ‘Tone Poet Series’ in the shop. This series has superior LP mastering (direct from the original analogue master tapes), pressed onto 180gm audiophile vinyl, and presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve.
Our current favourite is Duke Ellington — Money Jungle
This classic album, recorded in New York 1962, features three titans of jazz: Duke Ellington (piano), Charlie Mingus (bass) & Max Roach (drums).
Limited edition & only available in-store
The film below is a great insight into the production of these must-have reissues:
Blue Note Records have just released details of more LPs in the series. Which are due between March 2021 through to Spring 2022.
We’ll be sure to get some highlights in stock, from the list below:
Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series releases:
12th March 2021
Charles Lloyd & The Marvels — Tone Poem
7th May 2021
Dexter Gordon — One Flight Up
Andrew Hill — Passing Ships
4th June 2021
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers — The Witch Doctor
Curtis Amy & Dupree Bolton — Katanga!
9th July 2021
Sonny Clark — My Conception
McCoy Tyner — Expansions
6th August 2021
Lee Konitz & Gerry Mulligan — Lee Konitz Plays With The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Wayne Shorter — The All Seeing Eye
10th September 2021
Joe Pass — For Django
Stanley Turrentine — Rough ‘N Tumble
8th October 2021
Sonny Red — Out of the Blue
Grant Green — The Latin Bit
5th November 2021
Hank Mobley — Curtain Call
Jackie McLean — Tippin’ The Scales
3rd December 2021
Gerald Wilson — Moment of Truth
Freddie Hubbard — Breaking Point!
7th January 2022
Kenny Burrell — Kenny Burrell
Grant Green — Feelin’ The Spirit
4th February 2022
Harold Vick — Steppin’ Out
Bobby Hutcherson — Stick Up!
4th March 2022
Chet Baker & Art Pepper — Picture of Heath
Blue Mitchell — Bring It Home To Me
1st April 2022
Donald Byrd — At The Half Note Cafe, Vol. 1
ScoLoHoFo (Scofield-Lovano-Holland-Foster) — Oh!
