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Compared Tone Poet to Mosaic

This might interest some people.  The new copy of Hank, by Hank Mobley Sextet on Tone Poet just arrived last week.  The sextet:  Donald Byrd, trumpet; John Jenkins, alto; Hank Mobley, tenor; Bobby Timmons, piano; Wilbur Ware, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums.  Originally released in 1957, new release dated 2026, but received 12/2025.  Anyway this is a terrific hard bop record in the best Blue Note tradition.  Originally recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, remastered by Kevin Gray and Produced by Joe Harley.  I thought it might be fun to compare the vinyl Tone Poet with the Mosaic release of 2022, which is on CD.

For vinyl playback:  VPI HW-40 w/SoundSmith Hyperion set up using AnalogMagic, Conrad Johnson ART Phono.

For digital playback:  Luxman D-10X

Amp, line stage, speakers, wires etc. were the same for both.

Well some interesting differences and similarities.  First the Mosaic set used the mono master, whereas the Tone Poet set used the stereo master.  With that said the two masters were made simultaneously so there were no differences in performance.  The overall tonality of two were exactly the same.  That surprised me.  Overall I found that I liked the mono recording better.  I was amazed that there was no real difference between the analog and the digital versions that I could discern.  They were equally great and I would be happy to own either.  The difference I heard was more to do with what the recording engineer did and it is clear that Rudy V.G. was more adept or more comfortable with mono and lavished more attention on it to get it right.  I also think that Kevin Gray must have done everything possible to capture the sound of the original mono master.  The two recordings are remarkably transparent.  Later recordings in the Mosaic set are in stereo and if there is interest and if I have a duplicate in vinyl of another record, let me know and I will endeavor to do a follow up. 

billstevenson
tablejockey
4,412 posts
 

" There are no mono fold-downs from stereo masters in the entire Tone Poet series, period."

Confusing...

The link contradicts this:

" As good as the mono originals are, after the October 30, 1958 session at Van Gelder Studios the mono masters were made by folding down the original stereo master. Once we heard the actual stereo masters, the decision was made: when a stereo Blue Note master exists, we will use that stereo master to cut our lacquers for this series."

"Let me be clear the Tone Poet is a stereo record."

billstevenson,  is this is the album you have? I'm confused.

Hank Mobley – Hank LP (Tone Poet Vinyl Series) - Blue Note Records 

This is a mono LP. You are referring to the original stereo master folded for the mono used for the LP?

I have this 1958  Art Blakey in medium grade condition. "Moanin" is thankfully silent. Also have a 70's stereo reissue which is A+ and sounds great, but the mono without the hard L/R separation is more believable in picturing an imaginary stage with the musicians. Tonality of the instruments is about the same in both LP's.

3-art-blakey-and-the-jazz-messengers-art-blakey-and-the-jazz-messengers.webp (970×970)

RVG master Stereo/Mono tape(s) must be magical to experience.

 

dwette
573 posts
 

The Tone Poet series is now 152 titles (as of Jan 2, 2026). All the mono reissues in the series are from mono masters. There is not a single Tone Poet release that is mono from a stereo fold down. What that means is that every Tone Poet reissue of Blue Notes recorded after Oct. 1958 – when RvG stopped recording on a mono tape machine – are mastered and reissued in stereo. Every single one.

dwette
573 posts
 

@tablejockey 

" There are no mono fold-downs from stereo masters in the entire Tone Poet series, period."

Confusing...

The link contradicts this:

No, it doesn’t contradict that at all.

Hank Mobley – Hank LP (Tone Poet Vinyl Series) - Blue Note Records 

This is a mono LP. You are referring to the original stereo master folded for the mono used for the LP?

I assure you, and I know this. Hank reissued for the Tone Poet series is not mastered from a stereo fold-down. Joe and Kevin used the original mono master. If they wanted to use the stereo master the Tone Poet would have been a stereo release, and that isn’t the case here.

billstevenson OP
1,267 posts
 

The confusion is my fault.  I apologize.  I heard difference coming out of left and right speakers, that was caused by me using a stereo cartridge.  My bad.  With a mono cartridge the sound between the Tone Poet and the Mosaic CD completely vanishes though, which I still find astonishing.  I want to thank @dwette for straightening me out on this.  

dwette
573 posts
 

I want to thank @dwette for straightening me out on this.  

Thank you Bill. We've all been done that road, or a similar one before. I've bought records I thought were stereo – and not explicitly stated as mono – and played them with my stereo cartridge, only to wonder if it was stereo with a very narrow field of soundstage. Then trying it with my mono cartridge set me straight (with a post-it note attached to the inner sleeve thereafter).

The worst is when AP, Craft, etc reissue early stereo jazz albums, but use the mono jacket and label artwork for it. Talk about confusing.

Enjoy "Hank." It's a nice release.

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