Collections

[mikeweil]

8 hours ago, JSngry said:

I still like buying shit just to hear it. 

When I seriously got into jazz in the 1970's, buying stuff often was the only option to hear the music. Libraries didn't have much jazz, radio didn't play much jazz - to hear what Joachim E. Berendt condidered important  my only choice was to buy it whenever I saw it offered.

Edited July 30, 2019 by mikeweil

[Gheorghe]

41 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

When I seriously got into jazz in the 1970's, buying stuff often was the only option to hear the music. Libraries didn't have much jazz, radio didn't play much jazz - to hear what Joachim E. Berendt condidered important  my only choice was to buy it whenever I saw it offered.

Same here: My very very first choice was what JEB considered important. It was in the last chapter of the "Jazzbuch". And later I discovered the "Bielefelder Jazzkatalog". But many many records were not available in the record Shops. Especially BN was a mess, most of it was OOP, since BN was in a bad shape then. For example: "Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 1 was available if you ordered it from the States (which they did for me), but Vol. II (the one with Glass Enclosure" was OOP). And after I got Ornette Coleman "Golden Circle Vol. II) it took me a year to find somewhere "Vol. I" just for a few examples how difficult it was. 

And many Prestige Albums were available as Doublealbums, which did not contain the whole sessions. I had a Monk double LP with most of the 1952-54 sessions, and a Miles Davis LP with some of the 1953-54 sessions with a cover photo not at all related to Miles during that first half of the fifties. It was Miles with a kinky Afro  in the Boxing gym so I first thought it might be some post 1970 stuff…...

[sidewinder]

That’s the ‘Tune Up’ twofer put out by RCA in the 24000 series. Great music but absolutely appalling cover !

It was a similar situation over here concerning Blue Note. The dam burst somewhat around 1976/77 with the ‘brown bag’ twofers from Lourie/Cuscuna in the US followed by UK UA putting out about 20 or so classics in a batch which included the Bud Powells and the Ornette Golden Circles. That batch also included some obscurities such as McCoy Tyner ‘Tender Moments’ and Don Cherry ‘Where Is Brooklyn’.

Edited July 30, 2019 by sidewinder

[Gheorghe]

1 hour ago, sidewinder said:

That’s the ‘Tune Up’ twofer put out by RCA in the 24000 series. Great music but absolutely appalling cover !

It was a similar situation over here concerning Blue Note. The dam burst somewhat around 1976/77 with the ‘brown bag’ twofers from Lourie/Cuscuna in the US followed by UK UA putting out about 20 or so classics in a batch which included the Bud Powells and the Ornette Golden Circles. That batch also included some obscurities such as McCoy Tyner ‘Tender Moments’ and Don Cherry ‘Where Is Brooklyn’.

The "Tune Up" , anyway I later had to purchase all the separate Albums "Dig", "Miles and Horns", Collectors Items, Blue Haze,, Walkin´,  Bags Groove , Miles and the Modern Jazz Giants, and of Course all the after 1955 Albums Musings of Miles, Miles with Milt Jackson, the first quintet Album, and the four Prestiges Cookin, Relaxin, Steamin, Workin…… that´s a Must for a fan. 

The Brown bag twofers was good for a starter as I was then, I remember the "Paul Chamber-John Coltrane" which had some of "Whims of Chambers" and the whole Jazz West "Chambers Music". 

But one strange Thing About the Brown bag was it was not only BN, it was also other labels from the Coast. I remember one was Wes Montgomery, one was Gil Evans, one was Gerry Mulligan/Lee Konitz, so this was no BN Artists. 

And yeah: I remember I also purchased "Where is Brooklyn". My favourite was "Complete Communion" but I couldn´t find it so I made a Cassette out of the Album an older fan had. Now it is natural I have all the Don Cherrys on BN (Suite of Improvisers is actually the second), and all the Ornettes (together with Fox Hole , Love Call and New York is Now" it´s Five). 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Gheorghe

[sidewinder]

Yep, the ‘Brown Bag’ series covered the United Artists labels, including BN, Pacific Jazz, UA and Aladdin etc. material.

Some fine Pacific Jazz in that series, in particular Jazz Crusaders ‘The Young Rabbits’, Gil Evans ‘Pacific Standard Time’ and Wes Montgomery ‘Beginnings’. One of our local (non-jazz) stores in a sleepy town had them in the window display  back in the day and my eyes almost popped out of the sockets. 

Edited July 30, 2019 by sidewinder

[Teasing the Korean]

I started this thread a while back about my LPs.  I refuse to call it a "collection."

 

[Rooster_Ties]

3 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I refuse to call it a "collection. "

Yeah, I hear you there.  I wish there was a better word for all my music.  I feel more like a curator of an assemblage of music, and the "collection" is ever changing -- expanding, and periodically contracting too.  And the collection -- in my mind, at least -- gets a little better, or more interesting with every addition (and some well-needed pruning too, every few years).

I do call it a "collection" (for lack of a better term), and the museum I work for certainly has a significant collection (and that's the term of art), and we are a "collecting institution"

So on the personal front, while I might have a collection, I absolutely do NOT consider myself a "music collector".  THAT'S the term I hate the most - FAR more than "collection".

I've known lots of music "collectors" -- and I really don't get on with them nearly as well.  They're worried about this reissue, or that original pressing.

And don't get me started with (some) audiophiles, many of whom seem WAY more obsessed with the provenance of how something was recorded and mastered/remastered, and who (often) seem not to give a whit about the music itself.  Those people drive me up a wall.  I've had more than a few "good acquaintances" who I never really became good friends with (good "musical friends"), because it was nearly impossible to interact with them for very long about things, give that our priorities were so different (if seemed to me), despite our both owning 2,000-3,000 (or more) CD's.

(Don't mean to offend anyone here if you fall into any of these categories.  Please accept my pre-apologies.)

[Big Beat Steve]

10 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

I've known lots of music "collectors" -- and I really don't get on with them nearly as well.  They're worried about this reissue, or that original pressing.

And don't get me started with (some) audiophiles, many of whom seem WAY more obsessed with the provenance of how something was recorded and mastered/remastered, and who (often) seem not to give a whit about the music itself.  Those people drive me up a wall.  I've had more than a few "good acquaintances" who I never really became good friends with (good "musical friends"), because it was nearly impossible to interact with them for very long about things, give that our priorities were so different (if seemed to me), despite our both owning 2,000-3,000 (or more) CD's.

(Don't mean to offend anyone here if you fall into any of these categories.  Please accept my pre-apologies.)

   

Boy, do I hear you there! Agreed with you all the way. Improving a not so great-sounding reissue with something sonically more palatable is fine, but the lengths that some audio nerds go to about minute, miniscule "improvements" and then proudly proclaim what they have been able to "dump" ....
Reminds me very much of some self-proclaimed music "connoisseurs" at our high school back in the latter 70s when (remember?) "quadro" was all the rage for a time and touted as replacing stereo once and for all, and these "connoisseurs" went all crazy about whatever quador platter they sumbled upon. Never mind that even better record shops carried something like different 20 LPs with true quadophonic pressings at a time at best, so actually a dismal selection. But what did they mind .. "it's quadro so it's got to be the ultimate in liostening experience", regardless of the crappy music often pressed into that format.
Anyway ... Personally I do consider myself a collector and don't mind being called one, though when I see what true collectors (-cum-historians-archivists) accumulate I bow my head in shame and resignation ... So let's say most of us "collectors" probably are and remain in the "searching" phase and are collectors with a comprehensive collection in rather specialized (sub-)fields or their actual field of collection only.

[Dmitry]

On 7/24/2019 at 2:56 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

Does anyone have any idea of the size of the collection of Chris Albertson? His memorabilis alone must be mindblowing. Hope it all finds a good new home/caretaker.

It was pretty slim, actually, ...just the albums he produced, or wrote the liner notes for.

[mikeweil]

I bought a good number of those twofers, Prestige, Milestone, Fantasy, Brown Bags from Blue Note/UA/Pacific Jazz - still have some of them, the Yusef Lateef ones in particular. When French EMI started a series of Blue Note LP reissues shortly before the advent of CD, it was like heaven on earth. I happened to be on vacation in Rome when I first got the news; near the hotel at the Campo dei Fiori was the book and record store of the Italian Communist Party which had the whole batch. I took about twenty LPs home, much to the amazement of my girlfriend. There was one second Prestige I bought, too: A.K. Salim's "Afro-Soul Drum Orgy". That's the only one I still have, as I bought all of those Blue Notes on CD later on.

[Gheorghe]

7 hours ago, mikeweil said:

I bought a good number of those twofers, Prestige, Milestone, Fantasy, Brown Bags from Blue Note/UA/Pacific Jazz - still have some of them, the Yusef Lateef ones in particular. When French EMI started a series of Blue Note LP reissues shortly before the advent of CD, it was like heaven on earth. I happened to be on vacation in Rome when I first got the news; near the hotel at the Campo dei Fiori was the book and record store of the Italian Communist Party which had the whole batch. I took about twenty LPs home, much to the amazement of my girlfriend. There was one second Prestige I bought, too: A.K. Salim's "Afro-Soul Drum Orgy". That's the only one I still have, as I bought all of those Blue Notes on CD later on.

I think I remember this BN reissues shortly before the CD era, I think it was the renewed interest About jazz which lasted for a few years. In the late 70´s early 80s it still was not unpossible to meet guys from the same age who would listen to jazz. 

About the Brown Bags from BN I still have the Fats Navarro double Album, the Monk double Album, the Paul Chambers John Coltrane, The "Blowing Sessions" (thats the Griffin Album and the Cliff Jordan- John Gilmore), and the Sam Rivers (with Dimensions and Extensions and one unreleast Andrew Hill session). 

I think they failed with the Herbie Hancock Album, it was only a few tunes from each Album from the whole range of Herbies BN Albums from 62-69. 

The only "exotic" Thing I have is Wes Montgomery, since I love Wes´ guitar so much. 

But it seems I´m a bit ignorant About Pacific Jazz, I think I Always was a Kind of east Coaster, don´t ask me why, but my Collection of west coast Recordings is much thinner that those of east coast Recordings...….

[sidewinder]

The Herbie Hancock was one of those multi-coloured ones which were compilation samplers. There were similar ones for Thad/Mel, Dexter and Stanley Turrentine ( I think). Never bothered with those as I had all the material on other issues.

Edited July 31, 2019 by sidewinder

[Pim]

15 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

 

I’ve known lots of music "collectors" -- and I really don't get on with them nearly as well.  They're worried about this reissue, or that original pressing.

And don't get me started with (some) audiophiles, many of whom seem WAY more obsessed with the provenance of how something was recorded and mastered/remastered, and who (often) seem not to give a whit about the music itself.  Those people drive me up a wall.  I've had more than a few "good acquaintances" who I never really became good friends with (good "musical friends"), because it was nearly impossible to interact with them for very long about things, give that our priorities were so different (if seemed to me), despite our both owning 2,000-3,000 (or more) CD's.

(Don't mean to offend anyone here if you fall into any of these categories.  Please accept my pre-apologies.)

I feel the same way. I just can’t believe people are prepared to pay 100/200 or even more dollars to obtain an original pressing or a specific reissue. Especially not when a normal prices reissue is readily available. The highest I ever paid for a record was a 100 bucks, and the only reason I did because there were no alternatives and it is one of my very favorite records. But other than that... for me it’s still music first, than audio quality, than packaging and than probably what edition...

Same for me with audiophiles. I can hear a clear difference between bad and good sound and I have a personal taste. Maybe I just can’t hear it well, maybe it’s my ears , but come on: people paying 100 dollars for a so called 24k gold disc and other crap like that... it just makes me laugh. 

[Gheorghe]

1 hour ago, sidewinder said:

The Herbie Hancock was one of those multi-coloured ones which were compilation samplers. There were similar ones for Thad/Mel, Dexter and Stanley Turrentine ( I think). Never bothered with those as I had all the material on other issues.

Oh yes I remember it now, it was multi-coloured. 

But wait a Minute...… a friend of mine had a Brown paper BN "Dexter" and it also was quite a sampler. 

[GA Russell]

Some years ago, I decided that regarding all purchases, I would be a consumer, not a collector.

[mikeweil]

14 hours ago, sidewinder said:

The Herbie Hancock was one of those multi-coloured ones which were compilation samplers. There were similar ones for Thad/Mel, Dexter and Stanley Turrentine ( I think). Never bothered with those as I had all the material on other issues.

There was a Horace Silver in that series, too, which was a fine selection. It inspired me to get all his Blue Note albums, and then I sold it. 

[gmonahan]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:02 PM, mikeweil said:

There was a Horace Silver in that series, too, which was a fine selection. It inspired me to get all his Blue Note albums, and then I sold it. 

I especially valued the Horace Silver Trio album in the brown bag series. It seemed like it was a while before I could get those sessions on cd.

 

 

greg

[Hardbopjazz]

In your collections what is the rarest item anyone has?  

I’ve moved my collection, CDs, vinyl records to digital format. I took up a room in my home with cD’s and LP’s. My wife can’t understand why I need 32 takes of Charlie Parker playing ‘Star Eyes.’  

[Milestones]

I can't recall something officially called the Brown Bag series.  Was that printed right on the covers?

The Prestige two-fers were a major focus in initially building my jazz collection, back in the pre-CD age.  I do have quite a few of them still (especially Miles Davis), but I hardly ever play vinyl nowadays.

I'm not an audiophile.  

 

[Gheorghe]

3 hours ago, Milestones said:

I can't recall something officially called the Brown Bag series.  Was that printed right on the covers?

 

 

 

 

That´s how they looked. 

No, "Brown Bag" was not printed on the covers. 

I think, the official Name was "Blue Note L.A. Series", 

[felser]

3 minutes ago, Gheorghe said:

That´s how they looked. 

No, "Brown Bag" was not printed on the covers. 

I think, the official Name was "Blue Note L.A. Series", 

They were released in two phases.  Phase 1 looked like that.  Phase 2 looked like this, with darker brown.

[sidewinder]

48 minutes ago, Gheorghe said:

That´s how they looked. 

No, "Brown Bag" was not printed on the covers. 

I think, the official Name was "Blue Note L.A. Series", 

I think it was ‘The Blue Note Reissue Series’.

Then there was that later singles set ‘The Blue Note File’ which was also called the ‘LT Series’ I think.

The first bundle of the ‘Brown Bags’ had fairly good distribution over here and could often be found in cutout bins at the bigger stores. The second (darker) batch were more elusive and usually only seen at specialist stores, if at all.

Edited August 2, 2019 by sidewinder

[sambrasa]

8 hours ago, Hardbopjazz said:

In your collections what is the rarest item anyone has?  

 

Currently probably this one:

There were only 500 pressed and I think it's kind of rare by now, some 45 years later. Maybe some recent release I've got among something 6000 CDs and 1000 LPs I've got is more rare, so to say, but pressings nowadays are more scarce anyways so they don't count.

[Hardbopjazz]

9 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

 

Diner. I love that film.  

[Big Beat Steve]

13 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

 

That guy's just faking. What he pointed at as being the R'n'R section clearly is where he pulled out the Illinois Jacquet "Swing's The Thing" LP on Verve at the begining of that clip. R'n'R?? When R&B (where this MIGHT have been filed) is a different section anyway? And Miles' KOB does not seem to be far away from that corner either.
Seriously, man ... you're an imposter ...

So WTF???

Edited August 2, 2019 by Big Beat Steve