Serge Chaloff - Blue Serge (Blue Note Tone Poet Series, LP Vinyl, Mono)

A little-known Boston-born baritone saxophonist, Serge Chaloff was one of the earliest bebop practitioners on his instrument and possessed a remarkable agility and lyricism. He first gained wider recognition as a member of the "Four Brothers" saxophone section in Woody Herman's band in the late-1940s alongside Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. His career path was unsteady due to personal problems, but in 1954 he made a comeback with a stellar pair of recordings for Capitol Records: Boston Blow-Up! and Blue Serge. The latter would be his defining album with Chaloff joined by pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The quartet simmers on a laid-back seven-song set of standards including "A Handful of Stars" and "All the Things You Are" plus the sole original "Susie's Blues." 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 mono 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 jacket.

A Handful of Stars
The Goof and I
Thanks for the Memory
All the Things You Are
I've Got the World on a String
Susie's Blues
Stairway to the Stars