Blue Note - Rare Groove Series

[king ubu]

Anyone has a complete list of the BN Rare Grooves?

I found this one (by Noj) on the other forum:

BLUE MITCHELL-DOWN WITH IT

BOBBI HUMPHREY-SATIN DOLL

BOBBY HUTCHERSON-SAN FRANCISCO

BROTHER JACK MCDUFF-DOWN HOME STYLE

CANDIDO-BEAUTIFUL

DONALD BYRD-CARICATURES

DONALD BYRD-ELECTRIC BYRD

DONALD BYRD-FANCY FREE

DONALD BYRD-KOFI

DONALD BYRD-PLACES AND SPACES

DONALD BYRD-STREET LADY

DUKE PEARSON-I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT

DUKE PEARSON-SWEET HONEY BEE

DUKE PEARSON-THE RIGHT TOUCH

EDDIE HENDERSON-SUNBURST

GARY BARTZ-MUSIC IS MY SANCTUARY

GENE HARRIS AND THE THREE SOUNDS-LIVE AT THE "IT" CLUB (2 vols)

GRANT GREEN-ALIVE

GRANT GREEN-CARRYIN' ON

GRANT GREEN-GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL

*** NEW IN LIST *** Grant Green - Blues for Lou

JACK MCDUFF-MOON RAPPIN'

JIMMY MCGRIFF-ELECTRIC FUNK

JIMMY MCGRIFF-THE WORM

JOHN PATTON-ACCENT ON THE BLUES

JOHN PATTON-BOOGALOO

JOHN PATTON-GOT A GOOD THING GOIN' ON

JOHN PATTON-LET 'EM ROLL

JOHN PATTON-MEMPHIS TO NEW YORK SPIRIT

JOHN PATTON-UNDERSTANDING

LONNIE SMITH-DRIVES

LONNIE SMITH-LIVE AT THE CLUB MOZAMBIQUE

LONNIE SMITH-MOVE YOUR HAND

LOU DONALDSON-EVERYTHING I PLAY IS FUNKY

LOU DONALDSON-GOOD GRACIOUS

LOU DONALDSON-MR.SHING-A-LING

LOU DONALDSON-PRETTY THINGS

LOU DONALDSON-THE SCORPION - LIVE AT THE CADILLAC CLUB

REUBEN WILSON-BLUE MODE

REUBEN WILSON-LOVE BUG

RICHARD GROOVE HOLMES-COMIN' ON HOME

RONNIE FOSTER-TWO HEADED FREAP

STANLEY TURRENTINE-COMMON TOUCH

STANLEY TURRENTINE-EASY WALKER

VARIOUS ARTISTS-BLUE NOTE RARE GROOVES

VARIOUS ARTISTS-BLUE BREAK BEATS (VOLUME 1)

VARIOUS ARTISTS-BLUE BREAK BEATS (VOLUME 2)

VARIOUS ARTISTS-BLUE BREAK BEATS (VOLUME 3)

VARIOUS ARTISTS-BLUE BREAK BEATS (VOLUME 4)

VARIOUS ARTISTS-THE LOST GROOVES

The batch previous to the new ones consted of the following (included above) and was released in 2002:

Gary Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary*

Donald Byrd - Caricatures*

Candido - Beautiful

Eddie Henderson - Sunburst

Richard Groove Holmes - Comin' On Home

Bobbi Humphrey - Satin Doll

Jack McDuff - Moon Rappin'

Jimmy McGriff - The Worm

John Patton - Got a Good Thing Goin'

*) I'm not sure these are Rare Grooves - I think at least the Bartz I've also seen as one of those French BN reissues (those with miniature liners, that run of discs also included an Alphonse Mouzon album, Eddie Gale's "Black Rhythm Happening" and some others which I don't remember).

The new batch (2008) is:

Eddie Henderson - Heritage

Bobbi Humphrey - Fancy Dancer

Jeremy Steig - Howlin' for Judy

Three Sounds - Soul Symphony

Three Sounds - Elegant Soul

Reuben Wilson - Set Us Free

how about:

Bobbi Humphrey - Black and Blue

Lou Donaldson - The Midnight Creeper

Were these Rare Grooves as well?

I'm a bit confused as several I have aren't packed with clear trays and the spine "Rare Grooves" logo (i.e. The Midnight Creeper, Love Bug, Green's Alive).

Is there anything missing from the list?

Edited November 26, 2008 by king ubu

[AndrewHill]

I don't believe Midnight Creeper was, can't speak for Black and Blue though.

[Big Al]

Pretty sure LET 'EM ROLL was not a Rare Groove.

[AndrewHill]

Pretty sure LET 'EM ROLL was not a Rare Groove.

That one is! It was the in the first series (with the white inlay trays) and not clearly marked as Rare Grooves. Others in that first series are Byrd's Fancy Free and Pearson's Sweet Honey Bee. I also believe Smith's Drives was in there too.

[king ubu]

So it seems the list is too long rather than too short - or is there anything missing?

I haven't followed the Rare Grooves for way too long, only just got "Memphis to New York Spirit", for instance, and I'm still missing out on many of those (got several of the Donaldsons and Pattons though, about half o the 2002 batch, and all but the Steig and the Humphrey from the new ones!)

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I don't think any of the Lou Donaldsons have been Rare Grooves, except "Scorpion".

There were a few issued in Britain only, I think, which were kind of Rare Grooves - "Let 'em roll", "Alive", "Sweet honey bee" I can pull out and see had a kind of different design from the usual run of BN reissues, but also weren't Rare Grooves.

MG

[AndrewHill]

I don't think any of the Lou Donaldsons have been Rare Grooves, except "Scorpion".

MG

Good Gracious, Everything I play is Funky were and I believe Hot Dog may have been too (I think it was part of that first series of RG's) or it could've been Pretty Things. Alive, too, was part of that first series that wasn't clearly marked as Rare Grooves (kind of like how the first series (1994) of Conn's weren't clearly marked either (except for the OBI strip). Those first RG's, however, did not have OBI strips so they were even harder to identify.

Edited November 25, 2008 by Holy Ghost

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I don't think any of the Lou Donaldsons have been Rare Grooves, except "Scorpion".

MG

Good Gracious, Everything I play is Funky were and I believe Hot Dog may have been too (I think it was part of that first series of RG's) or it could've been Pretty Things. Alive, too, was part of that first series that wasn't clearly marked as Rare Grooves (kind of like how the first series (1994) of Conn's weren't clearly marked either (except for the OBI strip). Those first RG's, however, did not have OBI strips so they were even harder to identify.

Ah, I don't have "Everything I play" on CD. You're right about "Pretty things" being part of the same release as the others I mentioned that looked a bit different. They all came out in 1993; the earliest Rare Grooves I can find - I confess I haven't looked through them exhausstively - are from 1995.

By the way - Jack McDuff's "Down home style" was a Rare Groove.

MG

[king ubu]

Here are the ones I can confirm being Rare Grooves (I own them) - from among the earlier batches:

Brother Jack McDuff - Down Home Style

Donald Byrd - Kofi

Grant Green - Carryin' On

*** NEW IN LIST *** Grant Green - Blues for Lou

John Patton - Boogaloo

John Patton - Memphis to New York Spirit

John Patton - Understanding

Lonnie Smith - Live at the Club Mozambique

Lou Donaldson - Everything I Play Is Funky

Lou Donaldson - Good Gracious

Lou Donaldson - Mr. Shing-A-Ling

Lou Donaldson - The Scorpion

Stanley Turrentine - Common Touch

Stanley Turrentine - Easy Walker

I also have:

Bobby Hutcherson - San Francisco

Grant Green - Alive

Grant Green - Live at the Lighthouse

Reuben Wilson - Love Bug

Lou Donaldson - Midnight Creeper

but those aren't marked as RGs in any way.

About the batch that included Green's Blues for Lou and Donaldson's Everything I Play Is Funky - that was the one preceeding the final one from 2002. Wasn't that some kind of "previously unissued sessions" batch? I dimly seem to remember, but I don't have any True Blue catalogues from back then to check (I throw this stuff away, mostly...)

And how about Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo"? Never saw that... part of the series or not?

[Niko]

Bobby Hutcherson - San Francisco

but those aren't marked as RGs in any way.

About the batch that included Green's Blues for Lou and Donaldson's Everything I Play Is Funky - that was the one preceeding the final one from 2002. Wasn't that some kind of "previously unissued sessions" batch? I dimly seem to remember, but I don't have any True Blue catalogues from back then to check (I throw this stuff away, mostly...)

And how about Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo"? Never saw that... part of the series or not?

strange, i would have thought blues for lou was a conn, and i am 85% sure, my copy of San Francisco is marked as a Rare Groove somehow... don't have it here...

[Bluerein]

San Francisco is NOT a rare groove. Regular issue from the 90's. (so Niko you're 15 % sane!!!)

Edited November 26, 2008 by Bluerein

[Niko]

San Francisco is NOT a rare groove. Regular issue from the 90's. (so Niko you're 15 % sane!!!)

ok let me risk the remaining 15%

according to the list here

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/lofiversi...php/t25095.html

blues for lou was part of this batch of conns

Series XI (1999)

Grant Green – Blues for Lou

Bobby Hutcherson – The Kicker

Jimmy Smith – Six Views of the Blues

Art Blakey – Drums Around The Corner

Lou Donaldson – A Man with a Horn

Dizzy Reece – Comin’ On

Various Artists – The Lost Sessions

[Niko]

i know we don't qoute aaj over here but what about this

"Not all Rare Groove CDs have "Rare Groove Series" in the inside spine. The earliest issues, such as my copy of Bobby Hutcherson's San Francisco, merely had a round "Rare Groove" sticker on the front."

http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=12785

[Bluerein]

That sticker must have been added to make it more selleable to a wider audience. The CD issue itself was from way before the series even was invented by Tom and Michael (and Bob maybe).

[king ubu]

but those aren't marked as RGs in any way.

strange, i would have thought blues for lou was a conn, and i am 85% sure, my copy of San Francisco is marked as a Rare Groove somehow... don't have it here...

sorry for the confusion but that remark quoted from my post only applied to the listing preceeding it!

and thanks for listing that "unreleased sessions" batch, you're correct of course, those were Conns not RGs - but at least in those two cases they could have just as well been Rare Grooves! so once more sorry for the confusion!

[Soulstation1]

Bump