Kenny Drew/Undercurrent *Blue Note 180g 45rpm LP* (2LP) (Music Matters Ltd.) VG

$

61

Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue  Note Master Tapes!
The Definitive issue of this classic Blue Note title!

THE SOUND:
Mono or Stereo? Rudy Van Gelder first began recording Blue Note sessions in stereo in March of  1957. From then until an October 30, 1958 Art Blakey session, Rudy simultaneously ran both mono and stereo  session tapes. The stereo presentation revealed more air, more detail and more sheer life than the mono.  The mono playback was a wonderful remembrance of the old LP we all knew and loved. The stereo playback  from the original masters was eerie. It was like going back in time to that day in Rudy’s studio. Quite  simply, the stereo masters revealed more of what it was like to be there that day. 

Why 45rpm? Simply...Because it sounds better! 180 gram pressings versus 200 gram? Music  Matters, Lt. uses 180 gram pressings for the simple reason that they believe 180 gram weight is more than  sufficient to provide a near perfect pressing. When Music Matters asked their friends at Record Technology  Inc. for their recommendation to achieve the highest possible quality pressings their answer was  unequivocal... go with 180 gram!

Upgrading Connnections at Acoustech! It goes without saying that there are many controversies and  debates in the perfectionist audio/LP collector market. But one area of near universal agreement is the  quality of mastering that emerges from Kevin Gray’s custom-built AcousTech Mastering studio in Camarillo,  CA. Kevin, along with Steve Hoffman, has provided many of the best sounding new and reissued albums on LP  during the last 5 or 6 years working outs of AcousTech.

THE JACKETS:
Music Matters Exclusive! Music Matters strongly feels that these Blue Note recordings deserve  nothing less than the finest graphic presentation. The Music Matters Definitive 45RPM Blue Note jackets  are designed to last a lifetime, using ultra-durable extra thick cardboard stock and thick, luxurious  lamination... quality you’ll be able to feel in your hand the moment you pick up one of these albums. In  addition, Music Matters has obtained exclusive access to a treasure trove of over 30,000 original Blue  Note session photos from Mosaic Images for use in this series. The gatefold opens to display these session  photos in stunning high resolution - four times sharper than original Blue Note jacket photos.

THE REVIEWS:
Hear what Michael Fremer, Wayne Garcia and others are saying about the Blue Note Definitive 45rpm Reissue  Series from Music Matters, Ltd:
"They’re BIG and open and definitely work in stereo because they’re not hard left/right stereo. The  cymbals are so "chimey" and the skins so open! Even Rudy's typical boxy piano isn't too bad. These are  going to be really good....!!!! (Real time reaction after hearing his first test pressing of Horace  Parlan’s Speakin’ My Piece LP.)" - Michael Fremer, Stereophile Magazine

"I’ve heard a lot of Blue Note originals and myriad reissues over the years, but based on the sample  test pressings heard so far, none—and I mean none—convey the intensity of living, breathing music-making  the way the Music Matter’s Blue Note series does. The sense of air, texture, and dynamic pop in these  grooves is astonishing." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound

"Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers “The Big Beat” and Horace Parlan, “Speakin’ My Piece.” And if this is  any indication of what’s to come, I advise you to get on the list now, before this collection is sold  out." - Albert Porter, www.positive-feedback.com

"The Music Matters 45s have all immediacy and add a free-flowing naturalness that is surprising at  first but very easy to get used to." - Marc Mickelson, www.soundstage.com

A consummate pianist/composer, Kenny Drew made his first LP as a leader for  Blue Note in 1953. In the ensuing years, he contributed to many great sessions  including John Coltrane’s “Blue Train.” This 1960 quintet date with the cream of  Blue Note’s stable at the time (Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Sam Jones and  Louis Hayes) represents some of his finest work as a pianist and as a writer.

An underrated master of bebop, Drew was a brilliant pianist who started with the  example of Bud Powell and then developed his own sound within the style. He  worked with the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Buddy  DeFranco, Dinah Washington and Art Blakey in the 1950s, an awe inspiring  assembly of talent. By 1960 when he recorded Undercurrent, Drew had already led  ten albums of his own, mostly with duos and trios. Oddly enough he only had the  opportunity to lead two albums in his life for Blue Note, an early effort from  1953 and the classic Undercurrent. 

Matched in a quintet with the young firebrand  trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and the always-stimulating tenor-saxophonist Hank  Mobley, the 32-year old pianist was ready to truly make his mark. All six  compositions are his and, in his accompaniment of the passionate horn men and in  his soulful solos, Drew shows that he was one of the major hard bop stylists. He  would not make another album as a leader until 1973, nine years after he  permanently moved to Europe, but Kenny Drew’s playing on Undercurrent, a superb  and very well-recorded Blue Note album that is arguably his finest work, is  quite timeless.

Features:
• Remastered from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note Master Tapes!
• Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech
• Cut at 45rpm for Better Sound!
• Pressed on two 180 gram Virgin Vinyl LPs by RTI
• Limited Edition Copies!
• Ultra-Durable, Extra Thick Album Jackets
• Gatefold Album with Session Photos in stunning High Resolution

Musicians:
Kenny Drew, piano
Freddie Hubbard, trumpet
Hank Mobley, tenor saxophone
Sam Jones, bass
Louis Hayes, drums

Selections:
1. Undercurrent
2. Funk-cosity
3. Lion's Den
4. The Pot's On
5. Groovin' The Blues
6. Ballade

"The albums are being cut at 45 RPM for maximum quality by Kevin Gray and me using our full ANALOG disk cutting system; most studios cannot even cut vinyl in 100% true analog anymore (they convert to digital first) but we can. The original Rudy Van Gelder engineered stereophonic session tapes are used when we master these gems. The sound quality is amazing on our test cuts. Like from heaven. First totally uncompressed versions of these jazz classics that I’ve ever heard and trust me, you will be impressed; they sound like no other releases of this music."

"The sound is lifelike, the horns are in the room with you. Our non-invasive mastering insures the true breath of life on these original Van Gelder session tapes is transferred to the virgin vinyl with absolute authenticity. It is like hearing these BLUE NOTE masterpieces for the first time and that is NO exaggeration. When we heard the first lacquer acetate playback from our first mastering session I thought Joe Harley was going to pee in his pants he was so excited. Actually we all were; after 50 years of many lackluster and some downright bad sounding versions of these albums, hearing the real deal is a humbling experience, even for us hardened music veterans. You will be able to listen to the music exactly like we did..." - Steve Hoffman