Born in Nice in 1937 and something of a musical prodigy, Barney Wilen was barely out of his teens when he started playing with Art Blakey and Miles Davis on various European tours. He came to international attention with his contributions to Miles’ soundtrack for Louis Malle's film Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud, but thereafter faded from view, although he remained a cult hero in his native country. La Note Bleue, recorded in 1986 and released in 1987 on the French IDA label, is regarded as his comeback, an acclaimed hit that meant he enjoyed a late-career flowering up until his death in 1996.

Wilen is a great tenorist: romantic, lyrical and swinging, and definitely different; entirely unlike the more upfront US players who were his contemporaries and immediate predecessors. Almost 25 years after his death, his remains a distinctive voice, one that's both hugely evocative and musically delightful, and it's puzzling that he isn’t better known, particularly on the evidence of this album (regarded as something of a landmark in Gallic jazz). Its release followed the publication of a highly successful graphic novel by Jacques de Loustal and Phillippe Paringaux, Barney et La Note Bleue, which was partly based on his life and introduced him to a new, young audience in his homeland.

La Note Bleue the album reprises many tunes from Wilen's youth, with his arrangements of compositions by Monk, Miles, Duke Jordan and Bennie Golson mixed with his own (excellent) tunes. Two things Wilen knew how to do, and that was 1) swing and 2) inspire his bandmates to do likewise. He even manages to revive that comatose standard ‘Besame Mucho’ and adds new nuance to the much-covered ‘Round Midnight’ while his version of ‘Harlem Nocturne’ manages to both swing ferociously and exude Gallic cool.

This Elemental Music reissue, overseen by Wilen's son Patrick and original session engineer Hervé Le Guil is exemplary in every way. First, the sound, remastered from the original 24-track tapes by Le Guil, is superb: atmospheric and as clear as a bell. There's an additional track – a splendidly mentholated cover of Miles’ ‘All Blues’ – that wasn’t on the original album. As if that weren’t enough, there's a great previously unreleased Wilen quartet recording, made at Parisian jazz club Le Petit Opportun, and featuring reinterpretations of Note Bleue tunes, presented on CD. In addition, you get an English-language facsimilie of the Loustal-Paringaux comic-book, as well as a gorgeous 40-page, LP-sized book overflowing with wonderful photos from the sessions, as well as extensive session notes and contemporary adverts and press cuttings. Add in a sturdy box to house the goodies in, the attention to detail and use of gold foil blocking throughout, and you have an exemplary reissue set that just oozes premium quality. A true labour of love. The best news is that Elemental has more of this stuff to come.