Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape
Plated and pressed at RTI
The Blue Note Tone Poet 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 (from Music Matters), a.k.a. the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.
Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, overshadowed by the generation of saxophone giants who preceded him, carved out his own reputation through technical excellence, songwriting ability, and a stunning diversity that made him a sought-after sideman early in his career. He made his mark at Blue Note records as a member of the Kenny Dorham band and went on to record with the Horace Silver group that made the classic Song for My Father. He played on such varied albums as Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, Andrew Hill’s Point of Departure, and Larry Young’s Unity. State of the Tenor, originally issued as two albums and collected together on this set, was recorded during a three-day period at the Village Vanguard in New York in 1985 with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster. The reissue includes previously unreleased material.
Blue Note Records’ Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series is produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tape 180-gram audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe gatefold packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) and the vinyl is manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).
| 1 | Boo Boo’s Birthday |
| 2 | Y Ya La Quiero |
| 3 | Portrait |
| 4 | Soulville |
| 5 | Cheryl |
| 6 | The Bead Game |