Sony France Jazz Originals

[tjluke68]

I have a bunch of these great CDs (most have never made it out in the states) that I've picked up over the years

DUKE ELLINGTON - ALL-AMERICAN, COSMIC SCENE, A DRUM IS A WOMAN, JAZZ AT THE PLAZA, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, DANCE AT BAL MASQUE

BENNY GOODMAN - HAPPY SESSION, another one who's name escapes me right now)

TADD DAMERON/MILES DAVIS CD - forget the title

I'm sure there are others. Can anyone help or offer up some titles I haven't listed that I need to hunt down?

Thanks!

[jazzbo]

There was the five cd series "Duke Ellington 1947 to 1952"; that is a prized posession of mine.

There were others that eventually did come out as American cds. And others such as "Jazz Summit" by Charlie Parker, "Always Know" by Monk, "Unknown Session" from Duke that have not . . . A nice series. I wish I'd been able to snap up "Cosmic Scene," "A Drum is a Woman," "All American," and "Midnight in Paris". . . .

[tjluke68]

I snagged a bunch of the Ellington's SEALED at Borders about 4 years ago for $4.99 each - WOOHOO!

[king ubu]

There were many Sony France reissues. Some can still be found here, however, the remastering is usually not good enough anymore for current standards.

All Monk albums were available in that series, except (I never saw this, at least) the one with Oliver Nelson. The late Miles (post 1981) and also some earlier albums of his were reissued in France.

The series, by the way, was conceived and produced by Henri Renaud.

And I don't know if this series is still around, but I have a digipack reissue (with all the additional material and good remastering) of the Jim Hall album feat. Baker and Desmond, and another 2CD digipack of Herbie Hancock's "VSOP" live album (feat. the quintet with Shorter/Hubbard/Carter/Williams, the sextet in a special reunion and the current Hancock group with Wah Wah Watson and others).

I think these are european productions, too.

ubu

[Clunky]

I have the monk "It Club" sessions in this edition, the sound is horrible compared to the more recent version. Can't think what they were thinking about adding reverb and white noise to this fine date.

[jazzbo]

That reverb etc. was Teo's contribution to the original album of the "It Club" release. UGH. France just used his tapes, not the original undoctored tapes that Columbia used for it's cd release.

[mikeweil]

Yes, they always used the last LP issue master tapes, in case of the Monk Lincoln Center Big Band concert that meant edited tracks, in the case of the Ahmad Jamal trio it meant reverb. The Legacy reissues all sound better - I sold my French CDs as soon as there was a Legacy reissue. But the series was probably the best Renaud could coax out of the limited budget for jazz reissues SONY France gave him.

The high points to me are the three Jimmy Rowles CDs:

- Jimmy Rowles In Paris (unissued solo piano material from 1980 never issued elsewhere, very relaxed with the most subtle timing I ever heard from a solo pianist)

- Jimmy Rowles Plays Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (reissue of a rare US LP, solo piano from 1981)

- Profile: The Music of Henri Renaud (solos duets with Michael Moore of Renaud compositions from 1981, it seems this 1993 CD was the first and only issue)

[brownie]

The high points to me are the three Jimmy Rowles CDs:

- Jimmy Rowles In Paris (unissued solo piano material from 1980 never issued elsewhere, very relaxed with the most subtle timing I ever heard from a solo pianist)

- Jimmy Rowles Plays Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (reissue of a rare US LP, solo piano from 1981)

- Profile: The Music of Henri Renaud (solos duets with Michael Moore of Renaud compositions from 1981, it seems this 1993 CD was the first and only issue)

Did not go after most of the Legacy albums but those Jimmy Rowles were beauties. Henri Renaud took good care of producing dates for Rowles and we can be thankful Rowles delivered the goods. Those records are among the best piano albums released.

There also was a very limited edition of more Rowles in Paris solo material released on LP for a French Columbia convention back in the '80s.

Doubt that these masterpieces will be reissued now that Renaud is gone.

[king ubu]

and there was the marvellous Rowles/Getz "The Peacock"... great one to have!

ubu

[mikeweil]

and there was the marvellous Rowles/Getz "The Peacock"... great one to have!

ubu

The Peacocks is very beautiful and was substantial in gaining the underrated Rowles some more attention at the right time, but was produced independent of the Renaud produced recordings, in the "Stan Getz Presents" series. Other than this and four trio tracks of Rowles' "Impressions of the Miles Davis Nonet" for the "I Remember Bebop" twofer anthologies, Columbia did not deliver, contrary to Rowles, who always DID deliver.

BTW, the two CDs of the "I Remember Bebop" series Renaud produced were an improvement over the Columbia twofer LPs, as they included one unissued track from each pianist and collected complete sessions on one disc. Regrettably I was only able to get Vol. 2 with Rowles, Walter Bishop Jr., Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan, anybody here have Vol.1? If I remember correctly it had Duke Jordan and John Lewis on it.

To go back to the initial question of this thread, I think it will be hard to list all of the CDs issued in the Jazz Originals series: they did not have their own numerical series but were part of CBS' (Columbia Europe's) numbering system, some you can only recognize when you see the booklet front page. But as most of them were straight reissues of US LPs, I think the ones to search out are those not issued elsewhere or complied especially for it, like the Rowles, Jamal, and Bebop anthologies I mentioned. I could post discographical details if so desired.

[brownie]

BTW, the two CDs of the "I Remember Bebop" series Renaud produced were an improvement over the Columbia twofer LPs, as they included one unissued track from each pianist and collected complete sessions on one disc. Regrettably I was only able to get Vol. 2 with Rowles, Walter Bishop Jr., Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan, anybody here have Vol.1? If I remember correctly it had Duke Jordan and John Lewis on it.

I have volume 1 of those Bebop piano sets. It had a number of previously issued tracks by people like Ray Bryant and Ahmad Jamal.

The CD had no unissued tracks. All the material on the double CD was on the original LP twofers.

I think only one track from the LP sets was missing from the CD reissue.

Will check again when I can locate the LPs I stored away when I got the CD.

[mikeweil]

My copy of Vol. 2 has 4 tracks marked as previuosly unissued, perhaps that refers to them being on the other twofer and should say "not on original LP"?

[brownie]

Checked on the two LP twofers to compare with what's on the 2CD set.

LP 1 of the first set had sides by Ray Bryant, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Mal Waldron, Red Garland, Cedar Walton, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk and John Lewis that had previously been issued on other Columbia/Epic LP albums.

LP 2 had tracks that Henri Renaud produced in New York (when he recorded enough material for the double LP sets).

The only track on LP 2 that is not on the CD set is 'Woodyn' You' by Al Haig.

All the other tunes from LP 2 and the second twofer are on the CDs.

Strange that they did not include the Haig track. It's 4m30seconds and could easily had fit on the CD set.

[king ubu]

ubu confus!

My "Stan Getz presents Jimmie (sic!) Rowles - The Peacocks" CD IS from the "Jazz Original Series". Were there several CD reissues of this one?

ubu

Edited November 13, 2003 by king ubu