Andrew Hill – Dance (Tone Poet Series)

All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Andrew Hill’s Dance With Death Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI: Reference-Caliber Blue Note Reissue Helmed by Joe Harley

The brilliant pianist and composer Andrew Hill debuted on Blue Note in 1963 with a flurry of creativity and maintained a prolific recording output through the end of the decade that left several stunning sessions unreleased in the vaults. Recorded in 1968, but not released until 1980, Dance With Death was Hill’s tenth Blue Note album and it stands as one of the most gratifying though under-recognized sessions of the pianist’s remarkable discography. Hill’s music always inhabited a realm of its own, embracing elements of post-bop and the avant-garde without being beholden to either. This 6-song set is comprised entirely of Hill’s singular compositions including “Yellow Violet,” “Fish ‘N Rice,” and “Love Nocturne” performed by a versatile quintet of players equally at home in experimental or swing-based settings including Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Joe Farrell on soprano and tenor saxophone, Victor Sproles on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.

Blue Note Records’ acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2023. 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 crème de la crème 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:
Andrew Hill, piano
Charles Tolliver, trumpet
Joe Farrell, soprano & tenor saxophone
Victor Sproles, bass
Billy Higgins, drums

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