Dizzy Reece Blues in Trinity (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) 180g LP

The Kingston, Jamaica-born trumpeter Dizzy Reece moved to London at age 17 and began performing across Europe, most frequently in Paris, where he played with the likes of Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. Reece also made fans of Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins who spread the word about a hot new trumpeter on the European scene. So when trumpeter Donald Byrd and drummer Art Taylor came through Paris on tour in 1958 they sought out Reece and even found their way into the recording studio together in London for a U.K.-U.S. jazz summit that would become Reece's Blue Note debut, Blues in Trinity. The date was produced by Tony Hall who had cut several sessions with Reece for Decca Records' imprint Tempo that had caught the ear of Alfred Lion, and an arrangement was made for Blue Note to release the new album. Reece delivers bravado performances throughout—including the stunning ballad feature "I Had the Craziest Dream"—with Byrd joining for some friendly sparring on "Close-Up" and "Color Blind." Taylor anchors the rhythm section throughout with British pianist Terry Shannon and Canadian bassist Lloyd Thompson, but the album's ace-up-the-sleeve is arguably British tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes who is a robust presence on standout tracks including the opener "Blues in Trinity" and the Monk classic "'Round About Midnight."

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 stereo 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.

...[Reece] has a bold, forceful sound that simply burns with passion. Even on slower numbers, there's a fire to his playing that keeps Blues in Trinity from being predictable.