Sorti en 1969 sur le mythique label Blue Note Records, "Mother Ship" de Larry Young est une œuvre fascinante à la croisée du jazz modal, du hard bop et des premières explorations électriques. L’organiste, déjà reconnu pour son approche novatrice du Hammond B-3, s’éloigne ici des formats traditionnels pour proposer un son plus libre, presque cosmique.

Entouré de musiciens d’exception comme Lee Morgan à la trompette et Herbie Hancock au piano, Larry Young construit un univers dense et spirituel. Les compositions, telles que "Mother Ship" ou "Street Scene", oscillent entre grooves hypnotiques, harmonies audacieuses et élans improvisés d’une grande intensité.

L’album se distingue par :

- Une utilisation inventive de l’orgue, loin des clichés soul-jazz
- Des structures ouvertes inspirées du jazz modal
- Une ambiance presque spatiale, annonçant certaines tendances du jazz fusion

"Mother Ship" est souvent considéré comme l’un des disques les plus ambitieux de Larry Young, capturant un moment charnière où le jazz regarde résolument vers l’avenir.

- Larry Young "Mother Ship" 180 gram mono LP !
- Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape !
- Plated and pressed at RTI !

The Blue Note Tone Poet 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 (from Music Matters), a.k.a. the "Tone Poet", on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.

1969's Mother Ship, the final Blue Note album by visionary organist Larry Young, was the culmination of a tremendous run of records albums that redefined the sonic possibilities of the Hammond B3 organ. On his highly regarded 1965 album Unity, Young pushed the limits of his instrument into the far reaches of post-bop exploration. First released in 1980 as part of the LT Series, Mother Ship featured Lee Morgan on trumpet, Herbert Morgan on tenor saxophone, and Eddie Gladden on drums. The album bristles with unbridled kinetic energy while still delivering soulful grooves on a set of Young originals from the avant-garde tinged excursions of the title track and "Trip Merchant" to the in-the-pocket soul jazz of "Street Scene", "Visions", and "Love Drops".

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 180 gram vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.