Has there ever been amore impressive line-up on one jazz record than on Oliver Nelson’s 1961 masterpiece? Perhaps… but more importantly, has such a strong lineup ever been used to greater effect? Probably not.The Blues and the Abstract Truth is, from the opening soon-to-be-a-standard ‘Stolen Moments’ onwards, outstanding in every way, and one of the greatest jazz albums of its time, if not ever.

It’s been reviewed countless times, and is a cornerstone of any serious collection, so let’s concentrate on other mattes, as the quality of the music is a given. If you’ve not got it yet, or are looking to replace a battered LP or sub-par CD version of it, then look no further than this Analogue Productions version from Chad Kassem’s acclaimed audiophile reissue company Acoustic Sounds, released in collaboration with Universal/Verve Music Group’s Impulse! 60th anniversary celebrations.

As you’d expect from a record produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, the sonics are spectacular, and this all-analogue remastering by Ryan K Smith at Sterling Sound is just stunning – a completely silent, flat pressing by Kassem’s QRP plant, too. The sleeve is a lovely thick glossy Stoughton tip-on gatefold, adding to the experience (though purists may quibble that the original LP’s rather disconcerting photo of a dessicated figure at a microphone has been replaced by a shot of Nelson looking rather awkward). With minty originals impossible to find these days for under three figures, the £35 or so retailers are asking for this beauty is an unarguable bargain and money well spent.