Andrew Hill - Grass Roots - Tone Poet LP

Pianist and composer Andrew Hill had already built a formidable and beguiling body of work on Blue Note by the time he recorded Grass Roots in 1968, an album that stands as one of the most immediately accessible in his prolific output for the label which spans 1963-2006. Hill's heady brilliance was indisputably established with fiercely creative albums such as Black Fire, Point of Departure, and Judgment!, but on Grass Roots he had another idea in mind. "I'm not proving myself here," Hill explained in the original liner notes. "I want to give something. I want to reach out from myself to make people happy who listen to this. That's what grass roots are in music. Getting down to the basics, getting down as deep as you can into feeling." With a quintet eminently suitable for that task — Lee Morgan on trumpet, Booker Ervin on tenor saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums — Hill presented a set of five original compositions imbued with a deep sense of feeling, groove, and lyricism including the feel-good title track, the festive "Mira," and the propulsive "Soul Special."

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 gatefold tip-on jacket.

...hardly insubstantial musically - the songs have strong melodies, even hooks, to bring casual listeners in, but they give the musicians the freedom to find a distinctive voice in their solos. It's the best of both worlds, actually - accessible, just like Blue Note wanted, without compromising Hill's integrity.