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Tone Poet Blue Notes

The thought occured to me that given the chance I'd have bought most of the records in the window!

Though I suspect in today's money the cost of imported LPs in 1969 would make Tone Poets look cheap.
I seem to remember imports being around 57s6d at the end of the 60's. Does that ring a bell with anyone? Apparently that's around £63 in 2023?
 
His playing is a combination of bluesy and funky and he wrote many wonderful compositions.

I particularly like his left hand clusters, for want of a better expression. I hear his influence in early (1950s) Cecil Taylor. The general reception on Hoffman of Further Explorations Tone Poet was also lukewarm, which may negatively influence future Horace Silver reissues. Blowin’ The Blues Away (fabulous artwork) was one of my first BNs way back when - highly recommended.
 
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I particularly like his left hand clusters, for want of a better expression. I hear his influence in early (1950s) Cecil Taylor. The general reception on Hoffman of Further Explorations Tone Poet was also lukewarm. Blowin’ The Blues Away was one of my first BNs way back when - highly recommended.

It seems Joe Harley has confirmed 3 of the early Transition Records recordings, it won’t be the later releases (post 1957) as these are still owned by Denmark p, that took them over and still exists are to be reissued as Tone Poets in 2024. Most people on SH forum are betting it will be 3 Donald Byrd’s :p, but I’m betting on the early Cecil Taylor’s - Jazz Advance as one and hopefully Jazz By Sun Ra as a second. :rolleyes:
 
It seems Joe Harley has confirmed 3 of the early Transition Records recordings

I have nice copies of the Ra titles, but they’re not his most interesting titles to be reissued IMO. A TP Jazz Advance would be very welcome, especially with the newspaper cover art. A great record that deserves to be revisited.
 
I thought there were only two Byrd titles on Transition - Byrd's Eye View and Byrd Jazz?

TBH the candidates for release seem pretty limited. They issued 15 LPs including a folk record and a compilation. The Lucky Thompson record was licensed from a French label. A number of the jazz releases were traditional jazz or swing.

The Doug Watkins record is a possible. It looks like a great group with Hank Mobley, Art Taylor etc and has only been reissued once outside of Japan, as a 45rpm Classic Records job.
 
I thought there were only two Byrd titles on Transition - Byrd's Eye View and Byrd Jazz?

TBH the candidates for release seem pretty limited. They issued 15 LPs including a folk record and a compilation. The Lucky Thompson record was licensed from a French label. A number of the jazz releases were traditional jazz or swing.

The Doug Watkins record is a possible. It looks like a great group with Hank Mobley, Art Taylor etc and has only been reissued once outside of Japan, as a 45rpm Classic Records job.
Paul,
I agree 15 owned by Universal, Blue Note but I make it 3 Donald Byrd’s,
Byrd’s Eye View: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrd's_Eye_View released 1955
Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrd_Blows_on_Beacon_Hill released 1956
Byrd Jazz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrd_Jazz released 1957. There has a Sam Records reissue of this one, but limited to 300 and now out of stock: https://samrecords.fr/shop/page/2/
 
Not one that tempts me from my current more selective approach, but Harold Vick's Steppin Out is currently on Amazon for £23.66

Steppin Out! [VINYL]: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl
I paid full price for the Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz and that obviously didn’t sell that well at least in the US as Acoustic Sounds are now selling it for $4.98 plus shipping. Amazon still has it for £30.58.
They also have the Ornette Colman Round Trip Box set for under $100 now. Came down in price here as well, but not that cheap. Now £180 here.
https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/..._Gerry_Mulligan_Quartet-180_Gram_Vinyl_Record
 
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That Mulligan Konitz price is astonishing, I’d buy a fair few to sit on at that price if it was a UK seller. The fact Chad is clearing them must mean he over-ordered to a crazy extent. He knows what he’s doing. I wonder if they have a flaw, e.g. eccentric?

PS Tone poet prices are fascinating given they are allegedly not limited. If you have your collection in Discogs try searching by Tone Poet and then by price. The Bobby Hutcherson is the most valuable in mine aside from the big Ornette box. Sadly you don’t seem able to sort a label series by price outside your own collection so I’m only able to sort the 32 I’ve got this way.
 
I paid full price for the Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz and that obviously didn’t sell that well at least in the US as Acoustic Sounds are now selling it for $4.98 plus shipping. Amazon still has it for £30.58.
They also have the Ornette Colman Round Trip Box set for under $100 now. Came down in price here as well, but not that cheap. Now £180 here.
https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/..._Gerry_Mulligan_Quartet-180_Gram_Vinyl_Record

Wow! Agree with Tony - that's pretty astonishing! No wonder it's currently their top seller. Apart from the Ornette box I don't see any other big markdowns so I wonder if they've found an extra few boxes they're keen to shift or something.
 
People who into these reissues seem to be more obsessed with hard bop, modal or slightly 'avant garde' jazz. The Mulligan/Konitz is strictly West Coast cool jazz so it doesn't sell. But it's wonderful music and I rate highly all the Mulligan recordings including those with Chet Baker.
 
I really can't understand why he is so underappreciated relative to, say, Blakey, Lee Morgan or Mobley. For example, I consider most of Blakey's albums to be rather pedestrian for the lack of a better word. Even Wayne Shorter said something to the effect of 'having to put on a show' all the time when he was playing with the Messengers as opposed to when he was with Miles. Some of the best Messengers albums had Silver on the piano such as A Night at Birdland (with the additional benefit of Clifford Brown) and At the Cafe Bohemia.

I also find later Silver albums to be rather wonderful e.g. the Jody Grind, Serenade to a Soul Sister, Pursuit of the 27th Man, That Healin' Feelin' etc. Needless to say, I have most of his albums.

I particularly like his left hand clusters, for want of a better expression. I hear his influence in early (1950s) Cecil Taylor. The general reception on Hoffman of Further Explorations Tone Poet was also lukewarm, which may negatively influence future Horace Silver reissues. Blowin’ The Blues Away (fabulous artwork) was one of my first BNs way back when - highly recommended.
 
That Mulligan Konitz price is astonishing, I’d buy a fair few to sit on at that price if it was a UK seller. The fact Chad is clearing them must mean he over-ordered to a crazy extent. He knows what he’s doing. I wonder if they have a flaw, e.g. eccentric?

PS Tone poet prices are fascinating given they are allegedly not limited. If you have your collection in Discogs try searching by Tone Poet and then by price. The Bobby Hutcherson is the most valuable in mine aside from the big Ornette box. Sadly you don’t seem able to sort a label series by price outside your own collection so I’m only able to sort the 32 I’ve got this way.

I don't think Oblique has been repressed yet - it surely will be. Those box sets (that nobody wants ;)) and multiple Blue Trains held everything back. The Konitz Mulligan is a great sounding release...
 
I also find later Silver albums to be rather wonderful e.g. the Jody Grind, Serenade to a Soul Sister, Pursuit of the 27th Man, That Healin' Feelin' etc. Needless to say, I have most of his albums.
The Jody Grind would make a great Tone Poet reissue, but apparently the tapes have gone AWOL and all the post 1970’s ones have all been needle drops. :(
 
I was lucky enough to have scored the crazy 12LP box set of Lee Morgan at the Lighthouse. Although ISTR that it was not marketed as TP, for all practical purposes it was no different, down to the gate-fold sleeves, Kevin Gray mastering and similar pricing. I am glad I've got it despite initially passing on it and I believe demand ultimately outstripped supply. I highly doubt it will ever get reprinted.
 
Just had a quick first listen to the ‘dance with death’ LP and also finding it a little bass light. I mean, like you said and another before you, it’s well defined but just seems to fade into the background when the other instruments come in. Hoping it was intentionally recorded/mixed this way. My set up is normally spot on afaik
I find the whole mix pretty odd: bass a subdued presence and the drums basically a very forward snare. Passing Ships was the same to my ears. Still great.
 


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