Blue Mitchell Blue's Moods: Fantasy 45 Series

Blue Mitchell Blue's Moods on 180g 45RPM 2LP from Analogue Productions: Part of the Fantasy 45 Series, Mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech Mastering from the Original Master Tape, Pressed at QRP

Released in 1960 on Riverside, this album finds trumpet wizard Blue Mitchell leading a top-shelf quartet that reads like a who's-who of tasteful, straight-ahead jazz. Mitchell's playing is lyrical without getting syrupy, swinging without showing off — think cool confidence with a velvet glove.

Backing him is a rhythm section so tight they might be psychic. You've got Wynton Kelly on piano, a man whose comping is basically musical espresso — sharp, energizing, and never overdone. Sam Jones brings that rock-solid, walking bass that holds everything together like jazz duct tape (the fancy kind), and Roy Brooks on drums keeps the time crisp and the swing infinite.

Stylistically, Blue's Moods sticks close to the heart of hard bop, with traces of soul, elegance, and a little late-night melancholy for good measure. It's the kind of record that doesn't shout for your attention — it just strolls into the room, sets down its drink, and has you hooked in two bars.

This reissue is mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech Mastering, cut at 45RPM, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket with scuff-resistant matte finish.

Features:

• 180g Vinyl
• 45RPM
• 2LP
• Mastering by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman at Acoustech Mastering
• Pressed at Quality Record Pressings
• Stoughton Printing Old Style Gatefold Jacket with Scuff-Resistant Matte Finish