Upcoming Concord/Fantasy releases

[Big Al]

Seeing the titles scheduled to be released by Concord makes me appreciate what Fantasy did over the years.

What do you mean?

[GA Russell]

I received this press release yesterday from Concord:

KURT ELLING SIGNS EXCLUSIVE

RECORDING AGREEMENT WITH CONCORD RECORDS

Concord Records is proud to announce that Grammy-nominated singer Kurt Elling has signed an exclusive recording contract with the company. His Concord debut is scheduled to be released in early 2007.

...

[Chuck Nessa]

Seeing the titles scheduled to be released by Concord makes me appreciate what Fantasy did over the years.

What do you mean?

Maybe something like:

"I received this press release yesterday from Concord:

KURT ELLING SIGNS EXCLUSIVE

RECORDING AGREEMENT WITH CONCORD RECORDS

Concord Records is proud to announce that Grammy-nominated singer Kurt Elling has signed an exclusive recording contract with the company. His Concord debut is scheduled to be released in early 2007."

[paul secor]

Seeing the titles scheduled to be released by Concord makes me appreciate what Fantasy did over the years.

What do you mean?

What I mean is:

Al Casey: Buck Jumpin'

The Louis Cottrell Trio: Bourban Street

Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants

Roy Milton and His Solid Senders

Prestige Blues-Swingers: Outskirts of Town

Rene Thomas Quintet: Guitar Groove

Mable John: Stay Out of the Kitchen

Jon Eardley: From Hollywood to New York

Frank Strozier: Long Night

Robert Pete Williams: Free Again

Hal Singer: Blue Stompin'

Paul Gonsalves: Gettin' Together

Bill Harris and Friends

Don Ellis Quintet: New Ideas

Presenting Ernie Henry

Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate: Buck & Buddy

Frankie Lee Sims: Lucy Mae Blues

The Fabulous Thad Jones

Shorty Baker & Doc Cheatham: Shorty & Doc

Elmer Snowden: Harlem Banjo!

to list just a handful - I could easily list a couple of hundred more. All of these are fine records which Fantasy kept in print. I seriously doubt that any of them will see the light of day again once they go out of print, as I'm sure Concord will allow them to do. Perhaps I'm wrong, but seeing what Concord is reissuing, I don't have much hope.

[Big Al]

Seeing the titles scheduled to be released by Concord makes me appreciate what Fantasy did over the years.

What do you mean?

Maybe something like:

"I received this press release yesterday from Concord:

KURT ELLING SIGNS EXCLUSIVE

RECORDING AGREEMENT WITH CONCORD RECORDS

Concord Records is proud to announce that Grammy-nominated singer Kurt Elling has signed an exclusive recording contract with the company. His Concord debut is scheduled to be released in early 2007."

Okay, so this puts them on the same level as Blue Note.

Paul, I understand what you mean, but at the same time, seeing what they've been re-releasing has been better than what I expected, which was nothing but countless compilation reissues of the same six or seven Coltrane songs. I know nothing about the record business, and while I won't be surprised if a lot of this stuff falls OOP, I'm cautiously optimistic that a lot of OTHER stuff that might also have gone OOP might not only stay in print, but sonically upgraded as well.

[John L]

The music industry is changing rapidly. Fantasy wasn't able to hold on either, which is why they sold out. The best that we can hope for is that Concord will continue to offer something close to the entire Fantasy catalogue for downloading on sites like emusic and iTunes. That is the wave of the future. Like it or not, we are going to have to ride it.

[paul secor]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

I'm not perfectly sure, but I remember reading in Billboard in the mid-nineties that Alliance Entertainment offered over $100 m and was turned down - so they bought Concord instead. My personal guess is that Saul Zaentz decided he wanted to retire and then wasn't in such a good negotiating position as he had been before, if he settled for $80-90 m.

MG

[paul secor]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

I'm not perfectly sure, but I remember reading in Billboard in the mid-nineties that Alliance Entertainment offered over $100 m and was turned down - so they bought Concord instead. My personal guess is that Saul Zaentz decided he wanted to retire and then wasn't in such a good negotiating position as he had been before, if he settled for $80-90 m.

MG

$80-90 mil doesn't sound like a bad settlement.

[JSngry]

In my world, that's a fantasy...

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

I'm not perfectly sure, but I remember reading in Billboard in the mid-nineties that Alliance Entertainment offered over $100 m and was turned down - so they bought Concord instead. My personal guess is that Saul Zaentz decided he wanted to retire and then wasn't in such a good negotiating position as he had been before, if he settled for $80-90 m.

MG

$80-90 mil doesn't sound like a bad settlement.

Indeed! I wouldn't mind half! But compared to over $100m it might be regarded as disappointing. But obviously, if A doesn't want to sell and B wants to buy, what's offered may well be higher than if the boot is on the other foot.

MG

[ep1str0phy]

Power To The People is one of THE absolute best Joe Hen albums, ever!!!

Run, don't walk!!

About damn time this came out as a domestic US release (and in a standard case). Should have happened 10 or 15 years ago. It's a crime that the world had to wait until 2007 for this to see wide release on CD.

You know, I can't help but think that we had something to do with it (it's certainly come up enough times).

[RDK]

Seeing the titles scheduled to be released by Concord makes me appreciate what Fantasy did over the years.

What do you mean?

What I mean is:

Al Casey: Buck Jumpin'

The Louis Cottrell Trio: Bourban Street

Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants

Roy Milton and His Solid Senders

Prestige Blues-Swingers: Outskirts of Town

Rene Thomas Quintet: Guitar Groove

Mable John: Stay Out of the Kitchen

Jon Eardley: From Hollywood to New York

Frank Strozier: Long Night

Robert Pete Williams: Free Again

Hal Singer: Blue Stompin'

Paul Gonsalves: Gettin' Together

Bill Harris and Friends

Don Ellis Quintet: New Ideas

Presenting Ernie Henry

Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate: Buck & Buddy

Frankie Lee Sims: Lucy Mae Blues

The Fabulous Thad Jones

Shorty Baker & Doc Cheatham: Shorty & Doc

Elmer Snowden: Harlem Banjo!

to list just a handful - I could easily list a couple of hundred more. All of these are fine records which Fantasy kept in print. I seriously doubt that any of them will see the light of day again once they go out of print, as I'm sure Concord will allow them to do. Perhaps I'm wrong, but seeing what Concord is reissuing, I don't have much hope.

That's an impressive list of mostly obscure titles (and I have many of them from emusic), and kudos to Fantasy for releasing them on CD in the first place, but isn't it rather presumptive (and self-fulfilling) to suggest that Concord won't release such titles... since they're already available? As far as I know, none of those titles are oop yet, and while I'm sure that Concord will be "thinning the herd," weren't most of those intended to be single-pressed "limited editions" in the first place?

I found it interesting that, even after that Concord blow-out sale earlier this summer, very few of the available titles actually sold out. And that wasn't even the only means of distribution as I've been seeing a lot of sealed OJCs showing up in used CD stores, likely through other distro channels. In other words, most of these titles have been available for years, have recently been sold at bargain basement prices, and are still available for purchase. And yet people are still complaining that Concord will no doubt be deleting them in the future? Of course they will - it makes no sense to keep such low-selling titles perpetually in the catalog - but I'll be happy so long as they continue (and expand) their digital distribution of such "fringe" titles.

[Chuck Nessa]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

Fantasy was sold because Saul was nearing the end of his life and it was time to put the estate in liquid form. That's the deal.

[Jim R]

Gee, I assumed that Fantasy sold out because someone was willing to pay them 80-90 million $ for their catalogue.

Fantasy was sold because Saul was nearing the end of his life and it was time to put the estate in liquid form.

Yeah, but that's a LOT of booze.

I know, I know...

[paul secor]

The only point I wanted to make was that Fantasy reissued a lot of great music, much of it relatively obscure, and much of it out of print for years before Fantasy reissued it. I appreciate what Fantasy did. I'm sure that they didn't make much profit on a lot of their catalogue. I just hope that the more obscure/less commercial music won't disappear again, and that it will be available for future generations to hear. I hope that Concord will do that. Perhaps that won't be possible for them to do. I'm only a music lover, not a businessman/economist.

On another note, I'd be interested to know who it was at Fantasy who was into the music enough to reissue all of those titles and keep them in print.

[Chuck Nessa]

The only point I wanted to make was that Fantasy reissued a lot of great music, much of it relatively obscure, and much of it out of print for years before Fantasy reissued it. I appreciate what Fantasy did. I'm sure that they didn't make much profit on a lot of their catalogue. I just hope that the more obscure/less commercial music won't disappear again, and that it will be available for future generations to hear. I hope that Concord will do that. Perhaps that won't be possible for them to do. I'm only a music lover, not a businessman/economist.

On another note, I'd be interested to know who it was at Fantasy who was into the music enough to reissue all of those titles and keep them in print.

President Ralph Kaffel.

[paul secor]

Then I owe Ralph Kaffel a thank you.

[Chuck Nessa]

Then I owe Ralph Kaffel a thank you.

We all do.

[jazzbo]

Amen.

[Aggie87]

...from Musictap:

Good news from Fantasy Records is the upcoming release of a 3CD collection of Miles Davis music called Tune Up: The Early Prestige Sessions - 1951-1953. This 3CD set will be available on May 22 and will add beautifully to your already burgeoning Miles Davis collection. What do you think? I think yeah.

[Big Al]

...from Musictap:

Good news from Fantasy Records is the upcoming release of a 3CD collection of Miles Davis music called Tune Up: The Early Prestige Sessions - 1951-1953. This 3CD set will be available on May 22 and will add beautifully to your already burgeoning Miles Davis collection. What do you think? I think yeah.

Aw HECK yeah!!!

[sal]

I've never heard this music. Would you say its essential?

[medjuck]

The only point I wanted to make was that Fantasy reissued a lot of great music, much of it relatively obscure, and much of it out of print for years before Fantasy reissued it. I appreciate what Fantasy did. I'm sure that they didn't make much profit on a lot of their catalogue. I just hope that the more obscure/less commercial music won't disappear again, and that it will be available for future generations to hear. I hope that Concord will do that. Perhaps that won't be possible for them to do. I'm only a music lover, not a businessman/economist.

On another note, I'd be interested to know who it was at Fantasy who was into the music enough to reissue all of those titles and keep them in print.

President Ralph Kaffel.

I once met Saul Zaentz and thanked him. I guess I thanked the wrong guy.

[felser]

I've never heard this music. Would you say its essential?

Absolutely. Wonderful stuff.