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Review: Lee Morgan's Search For The Land is a soulful exploration of jazz that now gets reissued as part of this classic series son the iconic Blue Note. Released first in 1966, the record showcases Morgan's virtuosity as a trumpeter and composer. With a lineup featuring heavyweights like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, each track is a journey through intricate melodies and dynamic rhythms. From the exhilarating title track to the introspective 'Melancholee,' Morgan's next level improvisation and emotive phrasing shine throughout. The album's rich textures, buoyant grooves, and evocative solos make it an evergreen gem in the jazz canon and one that captures the essence of Morgan's musical vision with unparalleled depth and allure.

Review: Topping up Blue Note's rolling Tone Poet series, Blue Mitchell's Down With It! returns to the fore. With each record in the series hand-picked by the "Tone Poet" himself - Joe Harley - and coming remastered, re-pressed, and reissued on 180 gram audiophile vinyl, each reissue aims to do diligent justice to the career of a particular jazz great by way of a select album, often with emphasis on records released on Blue Note's lesser-known sublabels such as Transition Records. A renowned trumpeter, Mitchell made the mutes sing with Down With It!, enlisting such notables as Junior Cook, Chick Corea, Gene Taylor and Al Foster for a powerful quintet-powered set, consisting of both originals ('March On Selma') and standards from across the pond (Terumasa Hino's 'Alone, Alone and Alone').

Review: Released in 1966, Joe Henderson's Mode For Joe is a captivating jazz work that showcases his unparalleled skill and artistry as a saxophonist and composer. It came at a time when Henderson was at the peak of his creative powers and leading a stellar ensemble that included Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, and Bobby Hutcherson. From the infectious groove of 'A Shade of Jade' to the haunting beauty of 'Black,' each track offers a mesmerising blend of intricate melodies and vibrant improvisation. Henderson's rich tone and expressive phrasing command attention throughout and it is that which makes Mode For Joe such a well-regarded work that still holds great value today.

Review: Hank Mobley might not be so well known among the greats of saxophonic jazz, but that probably boils down to him making No Room For Squares. Indeed, only the coolest of the menthol-cool were permitted access to this album and Mobley's performances at the time of its release; this was undoubtedly a self-selecting process ensured by the garnering of some of the hottest talents of the day on band duties, including Herbie Hancock on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, and Butch Warren on bass. Moving like an effortless meandering current slinking downstream, the six tracks on this vinyl reissue put on effortless instrumental airs.

Review: Blue Note reissue the drummer Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers' time-honoured hard bop album Mosaic, often cited as among his best. From the titular opener to the seguing montage-worthy sequences of 'Arabia', 'Crisis' or 'Down Under', we're met with huge, extruding saxes and trombones, backed by Blakey's un-pin-downable drumming, evocative of huge towering New York skylines and crowd bustle; apparently, the album was so tightly performed it needed no alternate takes.