About

Two months before Jackie McLean recorded his inside-out masterpiece One Step Beyond in 1963, the alto saxophonist was in the studio recording a dynamic quintet session that would eventually be released as Vertigo as part of the LT Series in 1980. Primarily featuring a state-of-the-art band with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Tony Williams, the set presents a dizzying array of styles from bristling post-bop (“Vertigo”) to sophisticated funk (“Dusty Foot”) to slow blues (“Yams”). The hard bop centerpiece “Formidable” was drawn from an earlier 1959 session featuring Byrd, pianist Walter Davis Jr., bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Pete LaRoca. — (via Label)

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This 1980 recording released for the first time — "Formidable" from a 1959 session and five numbers from a 1963 McLean set. While "Formidable" has a strong quintet (with altoist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Walter Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Pete La Roca), the 1963 session has the recording debut of drummer Tony Williams along with strong contributions from Byrd, pianist Herbie Hancock (then also near the beginning of his career), and bassist Butch Warren. The latter unit sticks to group originals by Byrd, Hancock, and McLean, and the music ranges from catchy funk and hard bop to strong hints of the avant-garde. — (via AllMusic)

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About the Blue Note Tone Poet Series:

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 tip-on gatefold jacket.

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Label: Blue Note 
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Gatefold, 180 Gram
Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1980
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop, Post Bop

File under: Blue Note Tone Poet
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