Grant Green Born To Be Blue 180g LP (Vinyl)

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Born to Be Blue is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label. The AllMusic review by Alex Henderson awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "Although Grant Green provided his share of groove-oriented soul-jazz and modal post-bop, his roots were hard bop, and it is in a bop-oriented setting that the guitarist excels on Born to Be Blue."

Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: "Tone Poet" Joe Harley—co-founder and co-producer of the acclaimed Music Matters audiophile vinyl series—is the producer of this new series of all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering was done by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) and vinyl was manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI). The titles were handpicked by Harley and cover lesser-known Blue Note classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note catalog.

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 180 gm audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version. This is IT.

The so-called Tone Poet (Joe Harley) is confident that his audiophile reissues will allow 21st-century listeners to hear what the musicians heard as the master tape was played back on the studio monitors in Rudy Van Gelder's studio 50 or 60 years ago. He believes that, in terms of quality, Blue Note albums have never sounded or looked better. "Every aspect of these Blue Note releases is done to the highest possible standard," he says. "It means that you will never find a superior version."

There was no shortage of choices in this category either led this year by the many new releases from the Blue Note vaults by Joe Harley and Tone Poet. Born to Be Blue was one of the albums Green recorded with Sonny Clark in 1961-62 that wasn't released until after his death. Sometimes it's great while listening to Grant Green to genuflect upon what stands out the most about his playing. The answer on Born to Be Blue is Green's trademark clean, clear tone and rhythmic drive that is just punctuated by all the little technical things he does and the legatos, staccatos, quarter notes, accents, etc. Another thing that always amazes me about Green is the great musicians with which he surrounded himself. Green is accompanied on Born to Be Blue with legendary tenor sax player Ike Quebec, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes doing a number of jazz standards culled from the 1920s thru the 1950s. Sadly Green died way before his time.