• 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)
• Packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket

Miami-born trumpeter Blue Mitchell had a soulful, swinging style that was equally at home in jazz, R&B, and funk settings. Mitchell has been a sideman on Blue Note sessions led by Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Jackie McLean, and appeared on numerous classics as a member of the Horace Silver Quintet before he began recording his own Blue Note leader albums. For his 1965 date, Down With It!, the trumpeter reconvened the same dynamic quintet that had recorded his label The Thing To Do the year before, including his Silver bandmates Junior Cook tenor saxophone and Gene Taylor bass along with a 24-year-old, Chick Corea on piano and 22-year-old Al Foster on drums. The band comes flying out of the gate on the boogaloo grooved opener “Hi-Heel Sneakers” with other highlights of the set including the high-spirited “March On Selma” and the gorgeous ballad “Alone, Alone, Alone.”

Blue Note Tone Poet Series

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.