A very unspecific area of questioning, re: Nessa titles reissued overseas (incl. CD’s)

[Rooster_Ties]

Hey Chuck,

I don’t really have any super-specific questions — not really sure if I know enough to know what to ask — other than rummaging around Discogs, I’m noticing a fair number of Japanese and French (anywhere else I’m overlooking?) reissues of various Nessa records over the years.

Seems to include some semi-contemporaneous LP reissues, as well as some later CD reissues (possibly some being the first time any particular titles having been issued on CD).

How’d that all work? — and work out? — for you. Any interesting stories to tell, or any observations years (decades) later?

Not even sure what else to ask, but surely some other folks here can come up with some more interesting questions on the general subject.

Maybe it was all cut and dried, and nothing worth telling — but I suspect there’s at least something to the process and your experience of it that a number of us here didn’t know, and wouldn’t think of to guess.

A topic worth exploring, maybe? Thanks!

Edited March 20, 2021 by Rooster_Ties

[clifford_thornton]

Bomba reissued certain Nessa titles in Japan, and Chief in the UK licensed a number of things as well. 

I've never seen French Nessa reissues. I have seen French Delmark reissues.

[Chuck Nessa]

First my friend Donald Clarke issued 4 cds in England on the Chief label in 1989.

Bomba issued 9 titles in Japan in the late '90s.

Neither pressed any lps.

The French titles are the AEC's People in Sorrow and Les Stances a Sophie. These titles were recorded by Pathe Marconi with the understanding (with the band) they would be issued in North America by nessa. Pathe issued a contract licensing these masters to me "in perpetuity". Because of a complication in the '80s involving a third party, the North American rights are hazy. The cd reissues across the pond are at least partially "needle drops" while I have pristine master tapes. When Universal Sound / Soul Jazz issued Les Stances a Sophie they unwittingly used my artwork and compensated me with 100 cds to sell.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Chuck Nessa

[clifford_thornton]

yup, that tracks. 

The Japanese EMI-Odeon versions of People in Sorrow and Les Stances were fairly contemporaneous with the French Pathé pressings, as I understand it. I've never seen Japanese LP pressings of other Nessa-related material, unless some ended up with "import obis" over there.

Edited March 22, 2021 by clifford_thornton

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Chuck Nessa said:

When Universal Sound / Soul Jazz issued Les Stances a Sophie they unwittingly used my artwork and compensated me with 100 cds to sell.

No cash?

Signed,

Richard Carpenter

[corto maltese]

On 21-3-2021 at 10:03 PM, Chuck Nessa said:

First my friend Donald Clarke issued 4 cds in England on the Chief label in 1989.

Bomba issued 9 titles in Japan in the late '90s.

Neither pressed any lps.

The French titles are the AEC's People in Sorrow and Les Stances a Sophie. These titles were recorded by Pathe Marconi with the understanding (with the band) they would be issued in North America by nessa. Pathe issued a contract licensing these masters to me "in perpetuity". Because of a complication in the '80s involving a third party, the North American rights are hazy. The cd reissues across the pond are at least partially "needle drops" while I have pristine master tapes. When Universal Sound / Soul Jazz issued Les Stances a Sophie they unwittingly used my artwork and compensated me with 100 cds to sell.

The "Chi Congo" album was recorded around the same time as "Les Stances à Sophie" and was also issued in Japan by Emi/Odeon. There seems to be quite a bit of discographical confusion about this album. I suppose that session was not part of the recording deal with Pathé Marconi? Do you know what happened with those masters?

Edited March 23, 2021 by corto maltese

[Chuck Nessa]

1 hour ago, corto maltese said:

The "Chi Congo" album was recorded around the same time as "Les Stances à Sophie" and was also issued in Japan by Emi/Odeon. There seems to be quite a bit of discographical confusion about this album. I suppose that session was not part of the recording deal with Pathé Marconi? Do you know what happened with those masters?

It was originally released on a label called Carson. I had an original lp. It had no connection to Pathe at the time. At some point it was issued in the US on the Paula label.

[JSngry]

Any chance of a Paul Serrano link in that chain?

[clifford_thornton]

Re: Chi-Congo:

French Decca (via Pierre Berjot) --> EMI Odeon --> Paula --> Carson

[JSngry]

1 minute ago, JSngry said:

Any chance of a Paul Serrano link in that chain?

Or better, who was Don Logan to have his name on the Paula release?

[corto maltese]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

Re: Chi-Congo:

French Decca (via Pierre Berjot) --> EMI Odeon --> Paula --> Carson

I know Berjot recorded the Art Ensemble for the "Certain Blacks" album (released on his Musidisc label), but was he also involved in the "Chi Congo" session?  

 

[Chuck Nessa]

Lots of negative feelings in the band about those recordings. I don't feel able to share.

[clifford_thornton]

my understanding was that Berjot was responsible for the America, Carson/Decca, and Galloway recordings and released/sold them as he saw fit. 

[corto maltese]

8 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Lots of negative feelings in the band about those recordings. I don't feel able to share.

I understand and I will respect that.

Just one thing, though: do you mean negative feelings about the music or about what happened with those recordings ("Chi Congo", "Go Home"...) ? 

6 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

my understanding was that Berjot was responsible for the America, Carson/Decca, and Galloway recordings and released/sold them as he saw fit. 

Whenever Berjot/Jaubert's name comes up, you're bound to have a discographical mess...

 

[JSngry]

Don Logan?

https://www.discogs.com/artist/1631865-Don-Logan

 

[corto maltese]

16 hours ago, JSngry said:

Any chance of a Paul Serrano link in that chain?

 

16 hours ago, JSngry said:

Or better, who was Don Logan to have his name on the Paula release?

Some lunchtime sleuthing :

Paula Records launched its jazz series in 1973. Part of it were the "Carson" recordings by AEC ("Chi Congo") and Mal Waldron ("On Steinway"). Other titles in the series were originals (James Moody, Sonny Stitt, Young-Holt Unlimited...). Those albums  were recorded by Paul Serrano at his PS Studio.

Dandy Don Logan worked as chief cook and bottle washer for Stanley Lewis' record companies. He gets a credit on some of these jazz series albums, including "Chi Congo", as "co-ordinator". 

 

[JSngry]

Stan Lewis was a character, so I can see him having a cook on staff (the downtown Stan's was directly next door to the Jewel-Pula offices, and there was a lot of traffic in and out) but..."bottle washer"? That seems like a code word for....something.

[Chuck Nessa]

Paul Serrano had his hand in a number of recordings done in his studio and sold to other labels. Sonny Stitt and Wynton Kelly on Delmark are others.

[corto maltese]

A "chief cook and bottle washer" would be a person who has a wide variety of duties in the organization. At least that's what I thought it meant.

"I speak English very well. I learned it from a book." (Fawlty Towers, 1970) 

[JSngry]

Ah, ok, figure of speech then, got it!

[Rooster_Ties]

1 minute ago, JSngry said:

Ah, ok, figure of speech then, got it!

And one that seemingly can have two entirely opposite meanings, sorta...

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/152881/chief-cook-and-bottle-washer-meaning-and-etymology

[JSngry]

Stan Lewis had some kind of connection at Chess...he seemed to have open access to their Gospel catalog for years. For example, those CF Franklin sermons on Jewel (or Paula, can't remember) were staples in neighborhood record shops for decades around rhere, and then on cassettes in truck stops after that.

[clifford_thornton]

Carson records are really weird. Shepp's "Doodlin'" is another one but that seems to have also taken place as part of the America series of recordings, and just didn't fit with the others (Pitchin' Can, Coral Rock, Black Gipsy). The only Carson copy of Chi-Congo that I have seen in person looked to be a 1980s pressing, perhaps some sort of weird bootleg. The cover did not at all have the construction or feel of an early 70s French release.

[Teasing the Korean]

On 3/21/2021 at 5:03 PM, Chuck Nessa said:

The cd reissues across the pond are at least partially "needle drops" while I have pristine master tapes. When Universal Sound / Soul Jazz issued Les Stances a Sophie they unwittingly used my artwork and compensated me with 100 cds to sell.

So is the Universal Sound / Soul Jazz release from a tape or vinyl source?

[Chuck Nessa]

29 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

So is the Universal Sound / Soul Jazz release from a tape or vinyl source?

The answer is in the first sentence you quoted.