colinmce Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 As a spin-off from the Verve thread, let's use this space to list some of the great jazz records released by major labels in the 1990s (and late 80s I suppose). Like I said over there, labels like Verve, Blue Note, RCA, A&M, Ryko, Columbia and others had thriving jazz lines. It's sad to see all of these programs crater in the last 10-15 years and to see all of this music go OOP (though it is available very cheaply secondhand in most cases). Hopefully a few new-to-some titles will turn up in the discussion. Some I enjoy: Sun Ra, Don Cherry, and Cecil Taylor on A&M Steve Lacy on RCA/Novus Steve Lacy, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp/Roswell Rudd on Verve Randy Weston, Charlie Haden & Jackie McLean on Verve/Gitanes Abby Lincoln on Verve Don Pullen, Andrew Hill, Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Ralph Peterson Fo'tet and Geri Allen on Blue Note Dave Douglas on RCA Myra Melford, John Carter, and Clusone 3 on Ryko/Grammavision Don Byron on Nonesuch and Blue Note Alvin Batiste's Late on Columbia DIW reissues via Columbia by David Murray, David S Ware, et al Quote
Clunky Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Lee Konitz on RCA Victor ( Sound Lee) Mal Waldron on RCA Victor ( a stunning album with a stellar cast) Quote
erwbol Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Joe Henderson on Verve, mostly very good albums. Quote
Clunky Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Sonny Simmons on Qwest Ancient Ritual !!!!!! Quote
clifford_thornton Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 A couple of Ware's Columbias were not DIW reissues, IIRC. Quote
xybert Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Yes, a lot of the eighties/nineties stuff is in that zone where it's old enough to be OOP but not old/classic enough to be reprinted. Anyway... Threadgill's Columbia's! Quote
GA Russell Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 As I recall, I have one or maybe two Mulgrew Miller albums on RCA from that period. Quote
colinmce Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Posted March 20, 2015 A couple of Ware's Columbias were not DIW reissues, IIRC. Indeed. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 If Gramavision is a major label, I'd throw Anthony Davis into the ring as well. He also recorded his opera of Malcolm X for Koch... bigger indie I guess, rather than a major. Quote
paul secor Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Sonny Simmons on Qwest To my mind, one of the most surprising major label releases. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Ornette on Verve/Harmolodic Quote
JSngry Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 A couple of Ware's Columbias were not DIW reissues, IIRC. Indeed. Facilitated by Branford Marsalis. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Yeah, I recall that - both surprising and not all that surprising. Quote
CJ Shearn Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) Steve Coleman on Novus This. Also The Jazz Futures: fun to hear where those guys were at at thee time, as well Roy Hargrove on Novus, Joshua Redman Spirit of the Moment, Wish, Kenny Garrett, "Pursuance" and "Songbook". Branford's "Dark Keys", Tain's "Citizen Tain", Joe Lovano "From the Soul", the Mehldau Art of the Trio 4 and 5, all things I dig. At the time I was pretty nonchalant when a lot of that stuff came out because I was still in 1950's, 60's hard bop mode. JMT was an indie distributed by Verve, but Gary Thomas "Till We Have Faces" I'd enter in the conversation for serious discussion. Brecker's "Tales from the Hudson" and "Two Blocks From the Edge", "Time is Of the Essence". John McLaughlin "After The Rain", There's a bunch of Larry Goldings albums from that decade I still haven't heard, Edited March 20, 2015 by CJ Shearn Quote
duaneiac Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) Shirley Horn and Betty Carter each had notable albums released on Verve in that era. I know he is not every one's cuppa tea, but Kurt Elling had some good albums on Blue Note. I really enjoyed the Nicholas Payton & Doc Cheatham CD that was also a Verve project. Payton had other projects on that label as well. Terence Blanchard was recording for Columbia during that time although I tend to like his releases after 2000 a little more. Warner Bros. Records gave us releases by Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman. Cyrus Chestnut had some good CDs on Atlantic. Carmen McRae's last 2 (excellent) CDs were on some corporate combination of RCA/Novus/Bluebird Edited March 21, 2015 by duaneiac Quote
Steve Reynolds Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Joe Lovano: From the Soul & Trio Fascination on blue note Joe Maneri on ECM Art Ensemble on ECM Bley-Peacock-Motian: Not Two, Not One ECM (Not sure if ECM qualifies) Quote
JSngry Posted March 21, 2015 Report Posted March 21, 2015 Oh shit I forgot all about Betty Carter on Verve, that was major. Quote
CJ Shearn Posted March 21, 2015 Report Posted March 21, 2015 Joe Lovano: From the Soul & Trio Fascination on blue note Joe Maneri on ECM Art Ensemble on ECM Bley-Peacock-Motian: Not Two, Not One ECM (Not sure if ECM qualifies) It should because it was distributed by BMG in the 90's, I don't remember when Warner stopped distributing ECM. Quote
colinmce Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Posted March 21, 2015 Agreed on the Lovanos that were mentioned, plus the first few Mehldau trios, Joshua Redman's Mood Swing, and Kenny Garrett's Pursuance. Very fine mainstream work. Quote
GA Russell Posted March 21, 2015 Report Posted March 21, 2015 CJ, I think that Warner's relationship with ECM ended ca. 1982. It was about then that ECM cassettes were being dumped, sold for a dollar each. Quote
JSngry Posted March 21, 2015 Report Posted March 21, 2015 CJ, I think that Warner's relationship with ECM ended ca. 1982. It was about then that ECM cassettes were being dumped, sold for a dollar each. Cassettes, hell, LPs! WHOLE LPs, both sides with music, not the bargain jobs like they'd import from god knows where that only had half-grooves on one side, or all the grooves on the other. No sir, REAL records! I think it was between 1984-86 when the big ECM LP dump hit the stores here, definitely before our son was born, but after we had moved back to Dallas. I know I had the free time to drive around all day looking in the cutout bins at all 492.091 record stores in the greater DFW area armed only with a tank of gas and about $30 cash, and it usually being enough.That would have been in that window. Hell, even the sorryass "Record Town" mall stores in the mall, you know, the ones that were about as wide as an Italian alley and had ALL (i.e. JUST) the hits, they'd have a dinky little half-din cutout rack full of ECM LPs. It was one of those rare unambiguous Carpe-Diem moments in record buying history. I was buying shit I didn't even want to hear just because it was so cheap, you know, well, I MIGHT like it after all... Quote
erwbol Posted March 21, 2015 Report Posted March 21, 2015 Joe Lovano: From the Soul & Trio Fascination on blue note Joe Maneri on ECM Art Ensemble on ECM Bley-Peacock-Motian: Not Two, Not One ECM (Not sure if ECM qualifies) It should because it was distributed by BMG in the 90's, I don't remember when Warner stopped distributing ECM. In Europe, ECM CDs are manufactured at the Universal plant. Quote
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