Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog Mono 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

The Classic Vinyl Reissue Series is the continuation of Blue Note's acclaimed Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series, which was created in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Blue Note Records in 2019. The series presents affordable, high-quality reissues in standard packaging that are mastered by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio and manufactured on 180g vinyl at Optimal Media in Germany. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes.

Blue Note Records has recorded the legends of Jazz and has traced the entire evolution of the music from the early days of Boogie Woogie, Hot Jazz and Swing, through the innovations of Bebop, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and 70s Fusion, and into the vibrant sounds of Jazz's many modern-day incarnations. The Classic Vinyl Series is curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman and is broad in its scope. The series reissues the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, but also goes deeper, exploring the many different eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history with the aim of telling their story and fully representing the Blue Note motto: The Finest In Jazz Since 1939.

The legendary trumpeter Miles Davis was still near the beginning of his storied career when he cut the three sessions that comprise his Blue Note recordings in 1952, 1953, and 1954. In the late 1940s, Miles had been a member of Charlie Parker's quintet and Dizzy Gillespie's big band, as well as cutting select sides as a leader including the influential Birth of the Cool sessions for Capitol Records. Miles' star was still rising at the time he hooked up with Alfred Lion and Blue Note, but he was clearly on his path towards becoming one of the greatest bandleaders in jazz.

Initially released across three 10" LPs – Young Man With A Horn, Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 – the music captured on these Blue Note sides contains all the hallmarks of his early style from blazing bebop to beautiful ballads. When Blue Note transitioned to the 12" LP in 1955, Lion compiled Miles' recordings onto two volumes as the inaugural releases of the 1500 series. Volume 1 (Blue Note 1501) presents tracks from the 1952 and 1953 sextet sessions featuring two stellar line-ups with included trombonist J.J. Johnson, saxophonists Jackie McLean and Jimmy Heath, pianist Gil Coggins, bassists Oscar Pettiford and Percy Heath, and drummers Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey.

Musicians:
Miles Davis, trumpet
Gil Coggins, piano
Jay Jay Johnson, trombone
Jackie McLean, alto saxophone
Jimmy Heath, tenor saxophone
Oscar Pettiford / Percy Heath, bass
Art Blakey / Kenny Clarke, drums