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AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

Analogue Productions - ABNJ 84021 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

Mastered By Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray at AcousTech -  Pressed at RTI

1,000 Numbered Limited Edition -  Blue Note 84021

Incredible Jazz Records + the original analog master tapes + cut at 45 RPM + mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at AcousTech + pressed on two 180-gram virgin vinyl LPs by RTI = THE ULTIMATE LP REISSUE!

"…As much as I'd love to relay all kinds of anecdotes about the challenges Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray encounter during the mastering sessions, I witness none. These boys know the sound of the facility and the Van Gelder masters like the backs of their hands…Back home a month later, I unpack some test pressings Chad Kassem has sent me…I hear the most realistic-sounding drums ever reproduced by my system. It's as though I'm sitting at the point of creation, experiencing the same high that brought such gifted musicians together as one. Steve Hoffman, Kevin Gray, Chad Kassem, and Don MacInnis have done Rudy Van Gelder and his Blue Note artists proud." – Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile,

Excellent live set. Beautiful sound.  5 Stars  I was pleasantly surprised by the superb sound quality of this release. I think my initial hesitation may have arisen because the set was recorded live at the Five Spot, but in fact it seems that Gray and Hoffman were able to capture more aural dimension than usual. In any case, I was pleased to hear Burrell with this fine cast of characters, who all seem to bring out the best in each other. There is some nice experimentation going on here, too, a slight pushing of boundaries, which I particularly like, especially in the long-ish "Hallelujah" on side 2 (perhaps the best example of this, and simply a masterpiece) with one of the most thrilling drum solos (Blakey on mallets) I've heard on record. I think the mastering by Gray and Hoffman is mind-boggling in general, but as I've mentioned before it really showcases the muscle-y sound of authoritative drummers in particular, especially Blakey and Higgins. I'll be listening to this one over and over. Thanks, guys.LP Review

A 1959 live date at the legendary club, with Art Blakey driving a band that includes Tina Brooks and alternating pianists, Bobby Timmons and Roland Hanna. Recorded live on August 25, 1959 at the Five Spot Café, New York.

n the jazz world, 1959 was a year where titans reigned, where nearly every name you could think of put out recordings that would define their eras, their careers, or in a few lucky cases, their entire field. Along with the likes of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, pianist Horace Silver and trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell was one of a host of artists who had emerged in the mid ’50s and would personify the Blue Note roster by the end of the decade. But while the rich succession of albums that took shape in Rudy Van Gelder’s studio played a major part in the steady establishment of the label’s credentials and the ensuing renown of the artists who recorded there, one of the finest sessions of Blue Note’s 1959 season came from outside the studio’s confines—in a club gig recorded some 53 years ago.

On View at the Five Spot is a striking record, a peculiar blend of laid-back atmosphere and breakneck virtuosity that rewards casual and close listening equally well. Sit back, and you can soak in an ambiance that rides off tastefully played jam-session vibes. Lean forward, and you can take stock of how Burrell, who turned 81 on July 31, offers a dexterous style that rolls out clean-toned, feverishly dense yet limber single-note solos—a sound that fusion-era up-and-comers were still copping moves off fifteen years later. With his blues-to-bop-and-all-points-between versatility, Burrell works his way over, under around and through a murderer’s row of stylistically varied standards to acrobatic effect. His solo on the Dizzy Gillespie number “Birk’s Works”” is slick and supple, fluidly shifting between smooth burbles and sharp jabs. The Gershwins’ “Lady Be Good” gets one of its most superlative run-throughs since frequent Burrell collaborator Jimmy Smith’s A New Sound… A New Star rendition three years earlier, teasing a simple but brisk blues riff that quickly catches fire into something further towards the outer edges of hard bop. And “Lover Man,” still indelibly associated with Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker at the time, is explored with a suitably melancholic and gentle touch that still manages to pack in some impressive flurries of cascading notes. Indeed, in his autobiography One Train Later, guitarist Andy Summers of the Police claimed this version of “Lover Man” contains “one of the best jazz guitar solos ever recorded.”

The backing band for this session was a bit impromptu, but they click nonetheless. There’s a reason Art Blakey’s name is the same font size as Burrell’s on the cover, beyond name recognition and the promise of two greats in a rare collaboration. His drumming provides the chassis, the swing, and (particularly in the mallet-wielding “Hallelujah”) some of the solo fireworks. Jazz Messengers sideman Bobby Timmons and an early-career Roland Hanna take turns on piano, with the former’s sprightly touch, best heard in “Lover Man,” offset by the latter performer’s sharp edge on tunes like “Hallelujah” and “36-23-36.” And saxophonist Tina Brooks puts in a memorable appearance, less than two years before his final session, offering one of the better performances of his too-short career with some tenor work that complements Burrell’s melodic fusillades nicely. Burrell’s most definitive recordings may have been studio sessions, and On View at the Five Spot is more of a contrast to later, more blues-inflected career highlights like 1963’s Midnight Blue than a complement. But bottling lightning clearly wasn’t a bad way for producer Alfred Lion to spend a late August night in one of jazz’s most pivotal years.

• Mastered by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman at AcousTech

Musicians:
Kenny Burrell, guitar
Art Blakey, drums
Tina Brooks, tenor saxophone
Roland Hanna, piano
Bobby Timmons, piano
Ben Tucker, bass

Selections:
1. Birk's Works
2. Hallelujah
3. Lady Be Good
4. Lover Man
5. 36-23-36