Aug. & Sep. 2007 - US Blue Note RVG CD Reissues

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Michael Cuscuna sent me the list of the latest RVGs, scheduled for August & September. I don't know if anyone's even buying these things any more, but just in case anyone cares...

August 21, 2007

Paul Chambers – Bass On Top

Walter Davis, Jr. – Davis Cup

Duke Jordan – Flight To Jordan

Lee Morgan – Vol. 2

Lee Morgan – Vol. 3

Ike Quebec – Bossa Nova/Soul Samba

September 11, 2007

Lou Donaldson – Gravy Train

Kenny Dorham – Afro Cuban

Herbie Hancock – Takin’ Off

Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones

Lee Morgan - Delightfulee

Baby Face Willette – Face To Face

Sept. 25, 2007

Grant Green – The Latin Bit

Lee Morgan – Candy

Lee Morgan – Indeed

Jimmy Smith – Midnight Special

Jimmy Smith – Back At The Chicken Shack

Some good-sounding CDs in here. "Midnight Special" and "Back at the Chicken Shack" sound particularly good on the Japanese versions.

Later,

Kevin

Edited July 2, 2007 by Kevin Bresnahan

[Stefan Wood]

There are a few people who will enjoy this line up! Especially the Jimmy Smiths.

[Brad]

Think I've got all these except the LD and the Herbie Hancock. However, it's a great looking list. Still no Three Sounds. Oh, well.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Brad

[Big Al]

My thoughts in parentheses:

Walter Davis, Jr. – Davis Cup (FINALLY! I'll be able to ditch my CDR)

Lee Morgan – Vol. 2 (now my Mogie pseudo-Mosaic will be complete! Hooray!)

Kenny Dorham – Afro Cuban (FINALLY! Been waiting a looooong time for this one!)

Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones (YES! Another Thad Jones!)

Grant Green – The Latin Bit (why? I see this one so much at used-CD stores! Who's gonna buy this?)

Lee Morgan – Candy (probably ditch my JRVG so I can get the bonus track)

Jimmy Smith – Midnight Special (IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!!)

Jimmy Smith – Back At The Chicken Shack (IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!!)

If I'm looking at this correctly, every Lee Morgan album from the 50's will now be available in the RVG format. Good for us who missed that one, bad for those who paid a pretty penny to get an OOP box.

[Big Al]

Sept. 25, 2008

PLEASE tell me that's a typo!

[milestones20]

Looking forward to the Chambers, the Davis, the Quebec, and the Morgans. Otherwise, already have most of these in another form.

[sjarrell]

There's a few ancient McMasters I'll be upgrading- Delightfulee, Flight to Jordan, Afro-Cuban, the JOS ones. And it's Nice to see Willette get his first US RVG treatment!

I have all the Mogies form the 1500 yen TOCJ series. Did anyone A/B The Cooker or City Lights RVGs with those?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Sept. 25, 2008

PLEASE tell me that's a typo!

Ha! Good catch. Sorry for the fright. I have to wonder if the RVG series will even be around by Sept. 2008.

[sidewinder]

Nice to see the Baby Face being given a prominent CD issue. A classic.

[J Larsen]

Man, I've become one of those people who already has just about everything that is going to be reissued.

I selfishly wish they had selected Stop and Listen instead of Face to Face, but these are mostly pretty solid choices (except The Latin Bit ...)

We each have our quibble or two, but BN has done a very good job of making their catalog available in challenging times. Like Kev, I don't expect to see many more batches, though.

[sidewinder]

We each have our quibble or two, but BN has done a very good job of making their catalog available in challenging times. Like Kev, I don't expect to see many more batches, though.

I think it's been said before but compared with the dark days of the 70s and through to the mid-late 80s Blue Notes of any sort were extremely elusive. Can't believe some of the rare and great titles that have been issued mid-price over the past few years. Stuff (that Baby Face for example) that you would have given an arm or a leg for.

[Dan Gould]

I never understood why those two classic Jimmy Smith's hadn't gotten the RVG treatment but better late than never. Interesting that the fifties Lee Morgans are coming out. I thought the whole point of the Mosaic sets was that its the sixties releases for people like Mogie and Hank that sell, so the only way to get out the early material is to do the Mosaic.

As for the longevity of the RVG series, short of new corporate owners shuttering the operation, I don't see it ending. The whole purpose of the label is to sell the back catalog and hope to have some pop hits from the current roster. Why stop? Unless Kevin has heard Michael saying something that isn't fit for public notice yet ....

[connoisseur series500]

Sept. 25, 2008

PLEASE tell me that's a typo!

Ha! Good catch. Sorry for the fright. I have to wonder if the RVG series will even be around by Sept. 2008.

Yes, and it seems as if Cuscuna is pushing what he can while he can. We all smell that this will end soon enough.

[Swinging Swede]

Wasn't EMI just sold? With all the other majors shutting down their jazz reissue programs and letting staff go, I wonder why EMI would be immune to the same development. I wonder if we have seen the last Connoisseur batch, for example.

[montg]

Nice to see the Baby Face being given a prominent CD issue. A classic.

I agree. Grant Green and Baby Face are unbeatable. The tocj I have sounds real nice, Baby Face's bass lines are pretty clear.

[J Larsen]

As for the longevity of the RVG series, short of new corporate owners shuttering the operation, I don't see it ending. The whole purpose of the label is to sell the back catalog and hope to have some pop hits from the current roster. Why stop? Unless Kevin has heard Michael saying something that isn't fit for public notice yet ....

The PE MO is strip it down, and sell at a profit within five years (this is largely a function of how their funds work). I expect to see all low ROE segments of EMI shuttered over the next year. I could be pleasantly surprised, but if I were betting that's where I would lay my chips.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

As for the longevity of the RVG series, short of new corporate owners shuttering the operation, I don't see it ending. The whole purpose of the label is to sell the back catalog and hope to have some pop hits from the current roster. Why stop? Unless Kevin has heard Michael saying something that isn't fit for public notice yet ....

The only thing Michael tells me is what the whole world knows: CD sales are plummeting. Experts have predicted that when 2007 comes to a close, CD sales will have dropped 15-20% from (the already low numbers of) last year. 2008 is supposed to see another 20-25% drop. Since Jazz CD sales are normally low, I can't imagine the bean counters will allow Blue Note to spend a penny for future RVG CDs. RVG downloads maybe, but not CDs. If they don't sell, the beancounters don't let you issue them.

[J.A.W.]

As for the longevity of the RVG series, short of new corporate owners shuttering the operation, I don't see it ending. The whole purpose of the label is to sell the back catalog and hope to have some pop hits from the current roster. Why stop? Unless Kevin has heard Michael saying something that isn't fit for public notice yet ....

The PE MO is strip it down, and sell at a profit within five years (this is largely a function of how their funds work). I expect to see all low ROE segments of EMI shuttered over the next year. I could be pleasantly surprised, but if I were betting that's where I would lay my chips.

Translation please:

"PE"

"MO" (modus operandi?)

"ROE"

There are non-native English speakers here...

Thank you.

Edited July 2, 2007 by J.A.W.

[sidewinder]

Wasn't EMI just sold? With all the other majors shutting down their jazz reissue programs and letting staff go, I wonder why EMI would be immune to the same development. I wonder if we have seen the last Connoisseur batch, for example.

Hopefully this won't develop into a rerun of what happened with the 'Rainbow Series' vinyl - with the last few batches being a battle against the clock to get them out. Stealth operation by Mr Cuscuna.

[Guy Berger]

Translation please:

"PE"

"MO" (modus operandi?)

"ROE"

There are non-native English speakers here...

Thank you.

private equity

modus operandi

return on equity

[sjarrell]

I hope I can upgrade Leapin' and Lopin', Blue and Sentimental, Bluesnik, New Soil, Born to Be Blue and Cornbread (and a few more I can't think of right now) before the RVG program ends, if it's gonna.

Edit: We should put together a just-incase-it-all-ends list for Cuscuna.

Edited July 2, 2007 by sjarrell

[J Larsen]

Translation please:

"PE"

"MO" (modus operandi?)

"ROE"

There are non-native English speakers here...

Thank you.

private equity

modus operandi

return on equity

Thanks, Guy. Sorry for the acronyms. I am posting between emails at work.

[freeform83]

Any idea when Larry Young's Contrasts will be out? I am acquiver with anticipation, chomping at the bit, and generally waiting with baited breath to hear this album.

[montg]

As for the longevity of the RVG series, short of new corporate owners shuttering the operation, I don't see it ending. The whole purpose of the label is to sell the back catalog and hope to have some pop hits from the current roster. Why stop? Unless Kevin has heard Michael saying something that isn't fit for public notice yet ....

The only thing Michael tells me is what the whole world knows: CD sales are plummeting. Experts have predicted that when 2007 comes to a close, CD sales will have dropped 15-20% from (the already low numbers of) last year. 2008 is supposed to see another 20-25% drop. Since Jazz CD sales are normally low, I can't imagine the bean counters will allow Blue Note to spend a penny for future RVG CDs. RVG downloads maybe, but not CDs. If they don't sell, the beancounters don't let you issue them.

Because jazz sales are low, you'd think the suits would just leave BN alone--what difference does it make to a huge conglomerate whether the Baby Face sells 4,000 units or 3,000 (25% less)? The big financial losses come from those mass marketed 'musicians' whose previous million sellers are now selling at hundreds of thousands fewer. My guess though is that the bean counters will go after the weakest branches first (i.e. jazz) and keep trying, vainly, to find the next million-selling idol.

[BruceH]

Well, I'll be getting Davis Cup for sure.