Sonny Red’s Out of the Blue is a gem of the Blue Note catalog deserving of much wider recognition. The alto saxophonist’s lone album for the label was recorded in two sessions with Wynton Kelly on piano, bassists Sam Jones and Paul Chambers, and drummers Roy Brooks and Jimmy Cobb. Blue Note Records’ Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series is produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tapes, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) and vinyl is manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).

Sonny Red was not one of the most high-profile artists to record at the Van Gelder studio but on this 1960 album Out Of The Blue, he definitely proved his worth. Some of these sax melodies will be familiar to the jazz connoisseur and all are treated with a master player's respect.

FFO: Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Paul Chambers, Coleman Hawkins.

By Martha