Art Blakey - Mosaic

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

Not only is the group on Mosaic arguably the greatest version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, but it is one of the finest bands of all time in any type of music. Freddie Hubbard had just joined the Jazz Messengers while Curtis Fuller had left the Jazztet for the opportunity to play with the powerhouse ensemble. With the frequently blazing tenor playing of Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Jymie Merritt and the explosive Blakey, this was not a band for lightweights. Not only did the Jazz Messengers have five major soloists but Hubbard, Shorter, Walton and Fuller were inventive composers. On 1961's Mosaic, each of those four masters contribute at least one song apiece. Such unforgettable numbers as Fuller's haunting "Arabia," Shorter's "Children Of The Night" and Hubbard's "Crisis," along with the exciting and very individual solos, make Mosaic into a superb effort that ranks as one of the most vial recordings of the era.

"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

Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition
• 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
• Ultra-Durable, Extra Thick Album Jackets
• Gatefold Album with Session Photos in stunning High Resolution

Musicians:
Art Blakey
Freddie Hubbard
Wayne Shorter
Cedar Walton
Jymie Merritt

Selections:
Side 1:
1. Mosaic
2. Down Under
3. Children Of The Night
Side 2:
1. Arabia
2. Crisis