All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Hank Mobley's A Slice of the Top: Blue Note Tone Poet Reissue Mastered From the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray and Pressed at RTI

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley had already been building a formidable Blue Note catalog for more than a decade when he conceived of his unique album A Slice of the Top, which was recorded in 1966 but not first released until 1979 as part of the LT Series. Inspired by Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool, Mobley collaborated with Duke Pearson who arranged four Mobley originals and the pop standard “There’s a Lull In My Life” for an octet that added Kiane Zawadi’s euphonium and Howard Johnson’s tuba to a group consisting of James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Behold Mobley’s lyrical flights on standout tunes including “Hank’s Other Bag,” “A Touch of Blue,” and “A Slice of the Top.”

The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was’ admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. Was brought Joe Harley, a.k.a. the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.

Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the jacket graphics and printing quality to superior LP mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180g audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Tone Poet releases is done to the highest possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version. This is IT.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Musicians:
Hank Mobley - Tenor Saxophone
Kiane Zawadi - Euphonium
Howard Johnson - Tuba
James Spaulding - Alto Saxophone, Flute
Lee Morgan - Trumpet
McCoy Tyner - Piano
Bob Cranshaw - Bass
Billy Higgins - Drums

Features:
• Blue Note Tone Poet Series
• Curated by Music Matters co-founder Joe Harley
• Audiophile-quality 180g Stereo vinyl LP
• All-analog mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray
• Manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated
• Packaged in a Deluxe tip-on jacket with a booklet