All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Harold Vick's Steppin' Out Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI: Reference-Caliber Blue Note Reissue Helmed by Joe Harley

Tenor saxophonist Harold Vick was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and played with R&B bands coming up before working as a sideman with soul jazz organ greats including Jack McDuff and Big John Patton. Vick made his first Blue Note appearance in April 1963 on Patton's Along Came John, and a month later Alfred Lion brought the saxophonist back into the studio to record his own debut as a leader, the underrated soul jazz gem Steppin' Out. For the session Vick assembled the same band with Patton on organ, Grant Green on guitar, Ben Dixon on drums, and added Blue Mitchell on trumpet. The record finds its groove from the very first soul drenched notes of the opener "Our Miss Brooks" and stays firmly in the pocket throughout this 6-song set including the hard-charging "Trimmed In Blue," a deeply felt rendition of the ballad "Laura," the swaggering minor blues "Vicksville," and the buoyant title track which closes the album.

Blue Note Records' acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2022. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label's 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by audiophile legend Joe Harley and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing "Old Style" gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crme de la crme of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. 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.

"The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session."

- Joe Harley

Musicians:

Harold Vick, tenor saxophone

Big John Patton, organ

Grant Green, guitar

Ben Dixon, drums

Blue Mitchell, trumpet

Features:

Blue Note Tone Poet Series

Curated by Music Matters co-founder Joe Harley

Audiophile-quality 180g vinyl LP

All-analog mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray

Manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated

Deluxe gatefold jacket packaging

Review

A1 Our Miss Brooks
A2 Trimmed In Blue
A3 Laura
B1 Dotty'S Dream
B2 Vicksville
B3 Steppin' Out