Keepnews Collection

[Big Beat Steve]

Seeing that Bill Grauer is mentioned here and that people are not exactly unanimous about Orrin Keepnews' merits, does anybody have the inside info on to whom that legendary "Pictorial History of Jazz" book by Keepnews and Grauer should actually be credited?

I guess I am not the only one who got exposed to this book early on in his jazz collecting days and was (and still is) immensely impressed by it. And this is why Orrin Keepnews' name of course has been VERY familiar to me all along (aside from his Riverside involvement - but I never really took that much notice of his liner notes).

A 1951 issue of Record Changer (where Bill Grauer was involved) ran a lengthy feature on a pictorial history of jazz that sort of predated the later book.

Now just to get the credits right: Who did the major work in that book? Anybody have any inside info?

Edited February 23, 2007 by Big Beat Steve

[Eric]

shut the fuck up, orrin.*

LOL

[BruceH]

Shouldn't the musicians matter more than Keepnews?

You would think so.

As with some others on this thread, I'll probably get the Henderson. The others I already have on CD and LP.

[Guy Berger]

(1) The introduction to the Thelonious Monk Riverside Box, where he characterizes the contents as "all of my work with Monk" as opposed to the other way around.

Let's not forget that Monk's work as a sideman for Keepnews was his career breakthrough.

Guy

[eeegor]

Now is the time I especially lament Chris A.'s absence from the board.

I'm sure he'd tell us that the series should have been named "Some of the Better Sessions I Held the Stopwatch At".

Why in the world does he prefer posting over at AAJ? I haven't visited that site in months!

[Hot Ptah]

Now is the time I especially lament Chris A.'s absence from the board.

I'm sure he'd tell us that the series should have been named "Some of the Better Sessions I Held the Stopwatch At".

Chris A has posted his thoughts on this series on the AAJ board.

[Rooster_Ties]

Just in case anyone is the least bit on the fence about picking up the Henderson, let me say that it is simply one of Joe's finest hours -- one of the two or three best things in his entire catalogue.

It's a crime that it's taken until 2007 for this date to finally come out as an individual release all unto itself (save for one obscure Itallian issue several years ago, which was never easy to find -- at least I've never seen one.)

[robert h.]

Just in case anyone is the least bit on the fence about picking up the Henderson, let me say that it is simply one of Joe's finest hours -- one of the two or three best things in his entire catalogue.

It's a crime that it's taken until 2007 for this date to finally come out as an individual release all unto itself (save for one obscure Itallian issue several years ago, which was never easy to find -- at least I've never seen one.)

Despite sharing reservations over he necessity of a "Keepnews Collection", I have to agree that the Henderson is WAY overdue!!

The problem is that the main domestic audience still buyng CD's is very conservative and doesn't venture too far beyond the old warhorses, generally dismissing anything after the late 60's.

Proble with that is there are tons of GREAT sessions from that period still not properly reissued. McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Pharoah Sanders, many others did their best work during that period.

So if more of that stuff comes out I guess the series will be justified.

[mikeweil]

Since I don't have my Dorham Lp any more I will go for this CD reissue - hope it sounds good.

Considering the Adderley as I accidentally got the German ZYX didipak issue ....

[DMP]

Well, Keepnews reputation has suffered (justifialby) in the CD era - all those nonsensical reissues, what were all those labels thinking? BUT... His legacy at Riverside is more than secure, if for nothing more than all those Monk albums. Is there a more enjoyable body of work in all of jazz? Maybe he had little to do with it, but that's a tough position to take - someone came up with those settings. Monk and Shelly Manne!! Besides Monk, the whole Riverside catalog is filled with gems. And those original Milestone "two-fers" had to be one of the best - and most appreciated - reissue series. I even like the notes - filled with stories about the actual sessions, not just philosophical ramblings (like all those Pablos) or the typical track-by-track rundown. So, while I've been disappointed in what he's done lately, I have no problem with him blowing his horn over the albums he produced, bring them on! (Again!)

[felser]

Proble with that is there are tons of GREAT sessions from that period still not properly reissued. McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Pharoah Sanders, many others did their best work during that period.

So if more of that stuff comes out I guess the series will be justified.

Agreed, but the Henderson may be an anomoly, as everything else in the first batch is just the same ole same ole, with another four bit increment. There are a lot of Milestone gems that have never seen (at least domestic) CD release. Riverside is pretty well tapped out, I think, except for the occasional obscurity.

[skeith]

I picked up Power to the People and I do find it sonically superior to the Milestone box and to the Italian single cd issue.

However, it is annoying that since Keepnews in the liners said, I think, this series of reissues was about givng you all the art work, etc. from the original albums, I note that they left out the photographs from the centerfold of the lp and from the back cover, which the Italians gave us.

anybody want to buy the Italian version?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

And those original Milestone "two-fers" had to be one of the best - and most appreciated - reissue series. !)

As a series, the twofers were started by Prestige, shortly before Fantasy bought the company - about the time Prestige moved off the 7000 series onto the 10000 seres. Then they were extended to Fantasy's other labels - Milestone and Fantasy at the time. Then BN and other labels copied them.

MG

[DMP]

Right, it was originally a Prestige reissue program. And no notes by Keepnews in those! But it - and the subsequent Milestone two-fers - was really one of the best, and needed at the time.

[jazzbo]

I have the Wes and the Cannon.

I haven't been able to psych myself into reading the notes.

The sound is excellent!

[Tony Pusey]

Does the reissue include all the material thatwas included in the Milestone box? Or is it a straight reissue of the original album?

[cayetano]

Proble with that is there are tons of GREAT sessions from that period still not properly reissued. McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Pharoah Sanders, many others did their best work during that period.

So if more of that stuff comes out I guess the series will be justified.

No great surprises (except that Flora Purim?) in the next batch of the series:

Flora Purim Butterfly Dreams

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Caravan

Chet Baker Chet

Bill Evans Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Jimmy Heath Really Big

[skeith]

Does the reissue include all the material thatwas included in the Milestone box? Or is it a straight reissue of the original album?

If you are talking the Joe Henderson Milestone box, of course that box had many more releases than Power to the People on it. I no longer have that box, but I do not think it contained any more tracks than were on the original Power to the People album.

Edited April 4, 2007 by skeith

[Kyo]

There are Milestone albums by Sonny Rollins (Reel Life) and McCoy Tyner (Horizon) still waiting to be issued on CD (I think the Rollins came out on CD in Japan at some point but I the McCoy is still LP only). I hope this will change with this Keepnews Collection.

[Tony Pusey]

Does the reissue include all the material thatwas included in the Milestone box? Or is it a straight reissue of the original album?

If you are talking the Joe Henderson Milestone box, of course that box had many more releases than Power to the People on it. I no longer have that box, but I do not think it contained any more tracks than were on the original Power to the People album.

Skeith. I no longer have access to the box,

Well, my memory is not as good as it once was, but, if I recall correctly the box had quite a bit of extra material from the concert than appeared on the original album, but then again I might be wrong-anybody care to confirm or deny?

[Guy Berger]

Well, my memory is not as good as it once was, but, if I recall correctly the box had quite a bit of extra material from the concert than appeared on the original album, but then again I might be wrong-anybody care to confirm or deny?

Power to the People is a studio album, not a concert.

Guy

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Well, my memory is not as good as it once was, but, if I recall correctly the box had quite a bit of extra material from the concert than appeared on the original album, but then again I might be wrong-anybody care to confirm or deny?

Power to the People is a studio album, not a concert.

Guy

The live album is "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem". I didnt know there were extra tracks from that. Like to hear them all on one CD - or two even.

MG

[skeith]

Well, my memory is not as good as it once was, but, if I recall correctly the box had quite a bit of extra material from the concert than appeared on the original album, but then again I might be wrong-anybody care to confirm or deny?

Power to the People is a studio album, not a concert.

Guy

The live album is "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem". I didnt know there were extra tracks from that. Like to hear them all on one CD - or two even.

MG

MG

I believe that all of the extra tracks from the box were included in the single cd reissue of the live album when it came out as a single.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Well, my memory is not as good as it once was, but, if I recall correctly the box had quite a bit of extra material from the concert than appeared on the original album, but then again I might be wrong-anybody care to confirm or deny?

Power to the People is a studio album, not a concert.

Guy

The live album is "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem". I didnt know there were extra tracks from that. Like to hear them all on one CD - or two even.

MG

MG

I believe that all of the extra tracks from the box were included in the single cd reissue of the live album when it came out as a single.

Ah thanks - that had better go on my infinite list.

MG

[CJ Shearn]

except one track, "Gazelle" was deleted due to space limitations.