Blue Note Announces 2026 Tone Poet Series Lineup
The latest wave of the Joe Harley-produced series kicks off with vinyl reissues from Hank Mobley, Tyrone Washington, and Blue Mitchell.
The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series is back for another year of classic jazz in high fidelity. Blue Note’s in-house producer Joe Harley, the “Tone Poet” himself, has produced a new wave of releases he personally selected from the storied record label’s archives, as well as from labels under the Blue Note umbrella like Pacific Jazz and Jazz: West, set for release in 2026.
“During the 2026 season of Tone Poet we’ll revisit rare gems, bold under-appreciated dates, and, of course, beloved titles from the Blue Note catalog that fans have been patiently waiting for like Jimmy Smith’s The Sermon and Sonny Rollins’ Vol. 2, among many others” Harley says. “Stay tuned for several carefully curated surprises that are sure to delight as well. Tone Poet 2026 is designed to deepen your listening experience and celebrate the full breadth of the jazz legacy we all treasure.”
The Tone Poet Audiophile series is mastered fully analog, directly from the original master tapes, by Kevin Gray of Cohearant Audio. Each release is pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and packed in deluxe tip-on jackets. The reissues are available a la carte or as part of the Tone Poet Society subscription service, which launched in 2025. In its second year, the service will offer four tiers: monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual. Get more details at TonePoetSociety.com.
The 2026 Tone Poet lineup includes two albums per month, starting in January with the Hank Mobley Sextet’s 1957 stunner Hank and Tyrone Washington’s swinging, skronking 1967 classic Natural Essence, both of which are available now for pre-order. January will also see the year’s first quarterly Tone Poet Society Exclusive, Blue Mitchell’s Boss Horn. The Boss Horn reissue is limited to 1,000 individually numbered copies, all of which come with an Tone Poet Society Exclusive gold stamp and a lithographic print of a photo by Francis Wolff.
Future Tone Poet releases for 2026 include the aforementioned Jimmy Smith and Sonny Rollins albums plus titles from Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, and more.
