Transition label

[mikeweil]

brownie, I wonder, the Coltrane/Fuller/Chambers tracks (I have them on that brown Chambers/Coltranee 2LP set), were they released separately, or were they the teasers that made people buy that sampler? And do you know there's more from that date?¨

That Coltrane/Fuller was announced on the liner notes to the Transition LPs and one track was included in the sampler. That sampler was $1.98 when it was released. The other LPs were at $3.98 back in those days.

The BN Paul Chambers twofer had what was available from the material recorded at that session. Nothing else available unfortunately!

Another reason to consider them lost... Cuscuna would have certainly put them on the Chambers Select if they were still around! What a pity!

Lon, I like those early Dylan albums too! I guess Wilson DID make a difference with Dylan. And then he was the first (or so one says, at least) black producer in the pop/rock business back then.

ubu

I remember reading something about the mishaps surrounding that session, but can't recall the exact source. Looks liek Red garland didn't make the date - strange enough that tenor man Roland Alexander took the piano chores for one track. Maybe studio time ran out and/or the date was abandoned. These three tracks are all that was recorded, that is for certain.

The source, of course, was David Wild's 1979 Coltrane Discography (2nd printed edition). This is not yet included on his website. Cuscuna copied/edited Dan Morgenstern's liner notes from the Bluie Note twofer LP "High Step" for the "Chambers' Music" CD, including the supposedly wrong recording date:

BN-LA451-H2 gives "Boston, Apr 20 1955 or Detroit Nov. 1955". The earlier date  was based on information producer Michael Cuscuna found on the original tape boxes, which were merely dated "April 20".  The (Brian) Davis discography suggested that "Apr 20, 1955" was correct, since pianist  Alexander was a resident of Boston at the time. Cuscuna later confirmed (in conversation with Alexander) that the session took place in Boston. However, further resaerch strongly supports the date Apr 20, 1956. Cuscuna recently spoke with Curtis Fuller, who provided the following information. The recording date was to have featured Fuller and Pepper Adams (with a tentative title of "Salt and Pepper").  It was to have used part of the Miles Davis Quintet, then performing in town (Davis also wanted to hear Fuller), and Coltrane, Chambers, Jones and Red Garland were contacted. Garland, a no-show, was replaced by Alexander on the only title originally issued. At the actual recording session things became rather confused, and a tune written for Coltrane by Fuller, "Trane's Strain", was later credited to Coltrane. Similarly, Paul Chambers was later credited as the session's leader (although no leader credit is made on Transition LP30).  Research places the Miles Davis Quintet at 'Storyville' in Boston April 16-30, 1956.  Note also that the liner notes to Transition LP30 (by Chuck Israels) remark, "Then  Roland Alexander takes over for Garland, who was unable to make the date due to chorus girls".  Note too that Jepsen's 'Jazz Records 1942-1962' (Vol. 4a, p. 200) contains the entry "Curtis Fuller - Pepper Adams: 1956/1957, Transition LP8" with no titles (This LP was never issued). 

I'd say the project was abandoned after that unsuccessful first session.

[Chuck Nessa]

Everyone keeps saying Transition "vinyl" but the Transitions were injection molded with styrene, a cheap substitute and very brittle. You can spot these since they have labels attached with glue and they "ring" when tapped on the edge.

If you have any old Columbia 45s, you know what I mean.

[brownie]

Everyone keeps saying Transition "vinyl" but the Transitions were injection molded with styrene, a cheap substitute and very brittle. You can spot these since they have labels attached with glue and they "ring" when tapped on the edge.

Weren't the Debut LPs also made from the same material?

They feel the same. And some of the Debut labels came unglued.

[Chuck Nessa]

Weren't the Debut LPs also made from the same material?

They feel the same. And some of the Debut labels came unglued.

The few Debut originals I've seen were styrene.

[Bill Nelson]

Deccas may not have been injection-molded with styrene, but the pre-1960 LPs were composed of something they actually trademarked as 'Deccalite'. For a major label, they were cheap f*ucks when it came to favoring the customer. Real sad, for any of us who've gotten excited about finding any of their Jazz Studio, Jazz Lab, or Mood Jazz in Hi-Fi series of 'cool school' arrangers like George Russell, Ralph Burns, and John Graas. The Decca-lite is ruthless to the listener when it comes to a light scuff -- and any any scratch sounds like a crater. These Deccas were unyielding if you try to flex them -- try harder and they'd snap in half. "Unbreakable Record" my ass.

Specifically, I'm referring to Deccas with black or maroon labels and silver print. (You might as well add Coral releases, too.) By 1960, they ditched the Deccalite and went with real vinyl and labels with a rainbow prism in the center. Maybe the defective returns from dealers and the success of RCA Living Stereos convinced the Decca/MCA headcheese to give the customer a better record.

[P.L.M]

What I am missing from this discussion is Marable (spelling?) album Tenorman. Ripe for a Con?

I have a Japanese mini-LP reedition of this album.

THE LAWRENCE MARABLE QUARTET featuring JAMES CLAY: TENORMAN (JAZZ WEST JWLP-8)

(I'm playing with the colors in an laughable effort to reproduce the colors of the titles of the cover.)

It's a Toshiba-Emi Limited (TOCJ-9340) in a 24 bits remastering by RON McMASTER from 2001.

Even if it's a Limited Edition, I think that he could be still available.

Is J.A.W knows something about?

Edited August 15, 2004 by P.L.M

[Chuck Nessa]

A couple of points about some Transitions, etc:

Delmark's Byrd/First Flight was issued on Transition as #5 and it predates the other Transitions as Byrd's debut recording as leader. The personnel includes Yusef Lateef, Bernard McKinney (aka Kiane Zawadi), Barry Harris, Alvin Jackson and Frank Gant.

Delmark's Ra/Sun Song was originally on Jazz by Sun Ra (Transition #10). The bonus track, Swing A Little Taste, was on the sampler #30.

Ra/Sound of Joy was recorded by Transition but first issued by Delmark.

The Larry Marable Jazz West date was issued in the US on BN CDP 7 8440 2 in 1989. It contains a bonus track, from PJ, with James Clay, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Bond and Peter Littman playing In A Sentimental Mood. This was a Clay "test recording" at the end of a Chet Baker session.

[Dmitry]

Deccas may not have been injection-molded with styrene, but the pre-1960 LPs were composed of something they actually trademarked as 'Deccalite'. For a major label, they were cheap f*ucks when it came to favoring the customer.

Thanks for the write-up, Bill. 50s Decca jazz Lps pop up infrequently on the used scene, in my case. Those I see usually look like crap and probably sound just as bad. A lot of them were probably trashed fast and people just threw them away.

Same goes for the Debut 10'' and Transition Lps. I see them very infrequently. I remember seeing a John Dennis with Mingus and Roach record in fair condition for like $80 at a record convention.

Now I know why. Japanese vinyl helps, though!

[brownie]

$1,175.50 for the Cecil Taylor original!

Transition albums fetch steep prices nowadays!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWA:IT

[JSngry]

This is a gorgeous package – complete in every respect: the record is bright, shiny and flawless - perhaps played once or twice –

There's a metaphor or something here somehow...

[kdd]

Would have rather spent that $1,175.50 on this (if I had the money)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=4023401412

than the Cecil record. Pretty interesting, too bad I found out about it after the fact..

[Dan Gould]

Someone should direct Mike Fitzgerald's attention to that ebay auction, it sounds like he's got some corrections to make to the Transition discography.

[Chuck Nessa]

I had (have?) the reference acetate in the ebay entry (or another copy). Hadn't thought about it in years, don't remember selling it. I might have turned it over to Bob Koester.

[Dan Gould]

Any idea who the unidenfied tenor could be?

[Chuck Nessa]

Any idea who the unidenfied tenor could be?

I couldn't identify the tenor at the time. I might do better now 30+ years later. I don't remember being very impressed with the date at the time.

[JSngry]

Jay Migliori's a wild guess from somebody who's never even heard the thing.

[Dan Gould]

Any idea who the unidenfied tenor could be?

I couldn't identify the tenor at the time. I might do better now 30+ years later. I don't remember being very impressed with the date at the time.

Yeah, its really one of those things that only mad collectors like some of the people here would want to hear, or want to know who the tenor was ... we're nuts like that.

Of course, Roy Haynes is still alive, someone should ask him if he remembers the gig. I'm sure he does, after all he's only done, what, a few thousand gigs in his sixty years in the business? B-)

[brownie]

I hope this acetate makes its way to Spain or Andorra (or some other place in Europe). In a couple of years, we can all check how good - or bad - that date really was

[jazzbo]

"bnoffice" won the auction.

Hmmm. . . that could be good!

[RDK]

"bnoffice" won the auction.

Hmmm. . . that could be good!

Do we suspect that BN is padding their archives using some of that Norah Jones money?

[Brad]

Do we know who bnoffice is. I'm not sure they'd spend $400. I hope Mike sees this so he can give them a call before they ship.

[Bluerein]

The location is Japan for the BNoffice buyer so this might be a dealer in Japan who has already sold it in Japan for 10 times the auction price!!!!!

Cheers,

Reinier

[Big Wheel]

btw, it's not "bnoffice", it's "bnoffce" (no 'I').

I would have killed to have had that for the radio show I produced last fall featuring Joe Gordon's music.

[JSngry]

I would have killed to have had that for the radio show I produced last fall featuring Joe Gordon's music.

Got some frequent flier miles, a few days to spare, and good technique?

It's not too late!

[ghost of miles]

For anybody interested in Transition Records, here's the Night Lights show I did about the label and its owner Tom Wilson last autumn:

Before Rock, There Was Jazz: Tom Wilson and Transition Records