Since I'm on about Music Matters this week, how about going back to some that deserve to get out front some more?

Here's s look back on some Music Matters 45 rpm vinyl releases that came under the radar and deserve more attention.



Way too often, the narrow demographic of buyers for these reissues, and even more, the limitations of the Steve Hoffman vanity board as the prime source of discussion of these titles (with the usual misinformation, complaining, limited knowledge/appreciation of the music that is endemic on that board) prevent some of the real gems in the Music Matter catalog from gaining their rightful acclaim.



Let's take a look at Jackie McLean's seminal "Destination Out". That's a test press of that title to the left. Remastered by Kevin Gray as Huffy had left the party in a huff (bad pun, I know) by then. Here we have the cream of mid-60's jazz in five perfect tracks. There should be no more reason to buy this record than to hear Roy Haynes behind Jackie McLean, who was approaching freer playing at this point, but not at all into dissonant avant garde. But there is much more reason - Bobby Hutcherson, for one. Taking essentially the piano spot, Hutcherson's vibes have simply never been reproduced as gloriously as they are here - the ringing, metallic yet warmly resonant tone here is astonishing, how the notes ring and reverberate throughout the room has just never come through before now. My first reaction was a broad smile - THAT'S what Bobby Hutcherson sounds like - what a major thrill to finally hear that! Then there is Grachan Moncur, enfant terrible, who has such a rich tone filled with harmonic warmth, and on this one you can hear and feel the sweat dripping off his bell. I consider this one of Moncur's best outings.



What more can I say - except bring on more Jackie McLean! One Step Beyond just HAS to get on the Music Matters schedule, if only for the emergence of Tony Williams - it's often not recognized that Tony Williams became Tony Williams in Jackie McLean's band. The intonation issues that Jackie has on earlier Blue Note were resolved by this point and this title is the real start of the prime Blue Note period for Jackie McLean. Don't miss this one.



Speaking of Granchan Moncur - he recorded two records as a leader for Blue Note, "Evolution", the first and probably the best, pretty much starts off where Destination Out ended, adding to that group Lee Morgan, and Bob Cranshaw in place of Larry Ridley and Tony Williams back in the saddle in place of Roy Haynes. What is remarkable here is how the sympathetic Kevin Gray remastering turns this into a whole new record. It is more "out" than many are willing to go, but don't be deterred by that - it's far from inaccessible, in fact, the warmth in the midrange, Moncur's glorious tone, Hutcherson's metallic singing vibes tone, and a real swing to the proceedings were a revelation to me - and I have known this record for decades. This is neither a 'blind' purchase or a 'spec' purchase - it's an essential purchase. Let this music wash over you and revel in the tone colors brought to life.



An earlier and more mainstream hard bop session led by Paul Chambers wasn't to me an automatic Music Matters purchase. Sure, it has an early pre-Coltrane Elvin Jones - but at this point Elvin was really struggling to find his identity. Chambers is always solid, and Tommy Flanagan never made a bad move. Clifford Jordan, it seems to me, was the wild card here. Jordan's presence is mostly what made me hesitate - I never considered him much more than a journeyman. But his playing here actually makes the date, and he really plays at a much higher level that many of his BN contemporaries, and here is a case where the whole truly exceeds by a wide margin the sum of the individuals involved - it comes together as a very satisfying cohesive record that was both an unexpected surprise and a minor revelation.



That I had really not given it any respect previously made it all the more delightful to make a re-acquaintance in such a rewarding way. If you have overlooked this one, don't make my mistake - be surprised, and delighted, and maybe even it will open your eyes and ears to the many other unheralded titles in the Blue Note catalog that you need to discover. Curated by Ron and Joe, you just know that if they put it in front of you, it's going to be great. You have to take the next step to make the discovery.



Before I leave this topic for awhile, I urge Music Matters to bring more Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams collaborations out of the vault and into our hands. Pepper has been unfortunately largely forgotten now, while Gerry Mulligan remains revered, and IMO Pepper walks all over Mulligan as a hard bop bari player - and his stay in the Byrd band was seminal. Music Matters have done Byrd In Hand, with a second horn - Charlie Rouse on tenor. It's a good date and sounds very good. Pepper had one of those tones that never really got properly reproduced on record - it's big, much bigger than Mulligan, it's metallic from that Berg metal mouthpiece he favored, he growls down deep and loves the horn's bottom end. It's a baritone sound, and too often, I found players like Mulligan trying to make the bari into a darker tenor. Among bari players, Pepper is revered - not nearly as much so Mulligan.



In my view, Music Matters can't get enough of the Byrd/Pepper records into market, so we can here for the first time that magnificent, unique bari tone. Royal Flush has just got to get on the schedule. How about that, guys?