Lonnie Smith -"Drives (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" Lonnie Smith's 1970 album, Drives, was a showcase of the organist's sense of adventure and indomitable groove. With Dave Hubbard on tenor sax, Ronnie Cuber on bari sax, Larry McGee on guitar and Joe Dukes on drums, Smith delivers funky takes on hits "Twenty-Five Miles" and "Spinning Wheel," plus a fleet version of Miles Davis' "Seven Steps to Heaven." This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. [180g Heavy Vinyl LP]

Sonny Rollins - "A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters" - Capitol Music Group; Blue Note; Jazz; Catalog - Version Title: [Blue Note Tone Poet Series] / A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters expands legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' tour- de-force 1957 live trio album to a 2-CD set as part of the Blue Note Tone Poet Series. Produced by Joe Harley, the album has been remastered from the never-before-used original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray and includes a booklet featuring never-before-seen Francis Wolff photos, insightful essays and a new interview with Rollins in conversation with Don Was.

Duke Pearson -"Wahoo! (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" (180g Heavy) Duke Pearson's great 1964 album Wahoo! Was a perfect encapsulation of his talents as a pianist, composer and bandleader. Writing for a sextet featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet), James Spaulding (alto sax), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Mickey Roker (drums), Pearson presents evocative originals including "Amanda," "Bedouin" and "ESP." This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series stereo edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. Capitol Music Group; Blue Note; Jazz; Catalog.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Suave saxophone master Dexter Gordon had been living in Europe for several years when he returned to make his final Blue Note album, Gettin' Around, in 1965. This sublime set features a unique instrumentation with Dexter's tenor, the lone horn holding the spotlight, with nuanced accompaniment by Bobby Hutcherson, Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series stereo edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Donald Byrd - "Royal Flush (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" / Donald Byrd was off to the races after joining Blue Note in 1958 and had fully hit his hard bop stride by 1961 with his excellent album, Royal Flush. Joining the trumpeter was a state-of-the-art rhythm section, featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, plus Byrd's frequent collaborator Pepper Adams on bari sax. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. Special Pkg:180g Heavy Vinyl

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "A Night In Tunisia (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" / One of the great line-ups of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers coalesced when saxophonist Wayne Shorter joined trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Bobby Timmons and bassist Jymie Merritt, as heard on the 1960 album, A Night In Tunisia. Opening with a fiery version of Dizzy Gillespie's famous piece, the rest of the set showcased new bandmember originals. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180gram vinyl at Optimal. Special Pkg:180g Heavy Vinyl [LP]

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. The Three Sounds were one of the most prolific Blue Note acts. Led by pianist Gene Harris, the trio's sound had evolved by 1970, with a new line-up featuring bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Carl Burnett. The blues and gospel roots were still there but the rhythm had a funkier edge as heard on the rousing Live At The 'It Club' recording. This Blue Note Classic Series (stereo edition) is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. German jazz pianist Jutta Hipp is one of the most intriguing yet little-known figures in Blue Note history. Shortly after moving to NYC in 1956, she recorded the charming live trio album, At The Hickory House, with bassist Peter Ind and drummer Ed Thigpen. Volume 1 presents a set of standards and bebop themes that showcases her hip, lightly-swinging style. This Blue Note Classic Series (mono edition) is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 1964 was a momentous year in the musical life of Wayne Shorter. At the start of the year the saxophonist was still a member of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, appearing on classic Blue Note albums like Free for All and Indestructible. Shorter made his own auspicious label debut that spring with Night Dreamer and that summer he joined the Miles Davis Quintet cementing a line-up that would become one of the seminal bands in jazz history. When he returned to the studio for Blue Note in August it was in the company of three musicians with strong ties to John Coltrane: pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Elvin Jones. The resulting album JuJu is a marvel in Shorter's formidable discography which presents six of his evocative original compositions including the churning title track, the mesmerizing "House of Jade," and the brightly swinging "Yes Or No."

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Following the runaway success of The Sidewinder in 1964, Alfred Lion continued to record trumpeter Lee Morgan frequently in the hopes of capturing another funky boogaloo hit. While his subsequent albums may not have scaled the same commercial heights, Morgan certainly delivered the musical goods on his 1965 albums The Rumproller, The Gigolo, and Cornbread, all of which stand among the finest outings in his formidable discography. Recorded over two dates that Summer, The Gigolo featured Morgan with a dynamic quintet comprised of Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Harold Mabern on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. A supremely confident set of swaggering hard bop, the album kicks off with the groovy opener "Yes I Can, No You Can't," one of four Morgan originals featured here along with the up-tempo gems "Trapped" and "Speedball," and stirring explorations of the 11-minute "The Gigolo." The album closes with an exceptional arrangement of the ballad "You Go To My Head" which sways with sensual movement.

Vinyl LP pressing. Tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan blew in from Chicago in 1957 and put the NYC jazz scene on notice with a trio of excellent Blue Note sessions including Blowing in from Chicago co-led with John Gilmore, the self-title Cliff Jordan, and Cliff Craft. This third album featured Jordan at the helm of first-rate hard bop quintet with Art Farmer on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Side 1 presented three Jordan originals including the sublime "Laconia," "Soul-Lo Blues," and the hard-swinging title track. Side 2 found Jordan playing well-known tunes by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington including "Confirmation," "Anthropology," and a show-stopping version of the ballad "Sophisticated Lady."

Vinyl LP pressing. The Magnificent Thad Jones is widely regarded as the greatest small group recording of the trumpeter and composer's career. Following his Blue Note debut Detroit - New York Junction in March 1956, Jones returned to the studio in July to record this supremely swinging date with Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Max Roach on drums. The album opens with an iconic performance of "April In Paris," a reprise of the famous version featuring Jones that the Count Basie Orchestra had cut the previous year, complete with the trumpeter's sly "Pop Goes The Weasel" quote. Other highlights of the set include two Jones originals-the laid-back "Billie-Doo" and lightly swinging "Thedia"-as well as the stunning ballad "If Someone Had Told Me."

Sonny Rollins - "A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters" - Capitol Music Group; Blue Note; Jazz; Catalog - Version Title: [Blue Note Tone Poet Series] / A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters expands legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' tour- de-force 1957 live trio album to a 3-LP set on 180G vinyl as part of the Blue Note Tone Poet Series. Produced by Joe Harley, the album has been remastered from the never-before-used original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray and includes a booklet featuring never-before-seen Francis Wolff photos, insightful essays and a new interview with Rollins in conversation with Don Was.

After emerging from Terence Blanchard's band, pianist Aaron Parks made his own Blue Note debut in 2008 with Invisible Cinema, a striking album that has only grown in it's influence of the modern jazz landscape since it's release. Featuring a quartet with guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland, the music drew inspiration from Wayne Shorter, Radiohead, and more. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Vinyl LP pressing. Alfred Lion's inspired idea to pair tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine with The Three Sounds-the trio featuring pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andrew Simpkins, and drummer Bill Dowdy-on 1960's Blue Hour produced one of most deeply soulful hard bop outings in the Blue Note catalog. Both Turrentine and The Three Sounds were in the early days of their lengthy associations with the label at the time, the saxophonist having just recorded his leader debut Look Out a few months prior and the trio having debuted in 1958 with Introducing The 3 Sounds. Blue Hour is a smoldering late-night affair highlighted by seductive ballad performances of four standards: "I Want A Little Girl," "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You," "Since I Fell For You," and "Willow Weep For Me." At the album's center is Harris' spunky "Blue Riff," the sole uptempo number on this otherwise laid-back classic.