mjzee Posted January 22, 2023 Report Share Posted January 22, 2023 Has anyone written about the Argo label? Much has been written about Blue Note, and less so about Prestige and Savoy, concerning the producers' philosophies and what sorts of music they liked to record. Is there any sort of consistent thread that goes through Argo releases, or was it just musicians who were in Chicago? The James Moody self-titled album was produced by Jack Tracy - did he produce most of Argo's releases, or only some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stompin at the Savoy Posted January 22, 2023 Report Share Posted January 22, 2023 Just picking a few at random from this list - https://musicbrainz.org/label/bb9a014f-e627-47ef-97c2-81431ce26f97 - it looks like there were quite a few producers, including Phil Chess on a number of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted January 22, 2023 Report Share Posted January 22, 2023 The wiki article doesn't drown one in info but does have a possibly complete listing of titles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_Records My favorite Argos may be the Moodys and the Gene Shaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 22, 2023 Report Share Posted January 22, 2023 Some fabulous Ahmad Jamal platters ("At The Blackhawk" !!), "John Lewis with the Jazztet", Gene Shaw "Breaktrough" and "Debut In Blue" come to my mind .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted January 22, 2023 Report Share Posted January 22, 2023 There are some very fine jazz albums on Chess/Argo, but I don't get any sense of a philosophy or sound for the jazz on the label. chess blues, that's a whole different thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) There was SO MUCH terrific music released on Argo -- and Cadet: - James Moody. Ahmad Jamal. Ramsey Lewis. - Kenny Burrell. Illinois Jacquet. Al Grey. - Art Farmer. Benny Golson. The Jazztet. - Jack McDuff. Lou Donaldson. Shirley Scott. - Sonny Stitt. Bunky Green. Dorothy Ashby. Plus these outstanding Argo/Cadet "one-offs": - Paul Gonsalves - Cookin' - Harold Land - The Peace-Maker - Oliver Nelson - Fantabulous Edited January 23, 2023 by HutchFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Would be great to have a Classic Argo Jazz Sessions Mosaic or some such. Who owns the catalogue now? Ah, I see it's Universal. The only two Mosaics I can think of off the top of my head with Argo material are the Ahmad Jamal and Jazztet collections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 12 minutes ago, ghost of miles said: Would be great to have a Classic Argo Jazz Sessions Mosaic or some such. Who owns the catalogue now? Ah, I see it's Universal. The only two Mosaics I can think of off the top of my head with Argo material are the Ahmad Jamal and Jazztet collections. I've said it before but I'll say it again: I'd buy a Moody set in a heartbeat. I think a Kenny Burrell set -- featuring his work as both a leader and sideman -- would be terrific too. (The sideman stuff would pull in albums by Illinois Jacquet, Hank Jones, Budd Johnson, Milt Buckner, and Jean DuShon.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 22 minutes ago, ghost of miles said: Would be great to have a Classic Argo Jazz Sessions Mosaic or some such. Who owns the catalogue now? Ah, I see it's Universal. The only two Mosaics I can think of off the top of my head with Argo material are the Ahmad Jamal and Jazztet collections. Seems like this would perfectly fit the Mosaic charter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) Way too much music! The Ahmad Jamal alone was 9 CDs, the Jazztet was 7 CDs (including to albums originally on Mercury). For a label box, way too much Moody would be 5 CDs. Burrell - a set including the Verve sessions from the same years would make more sense, but all of these were reissuedin Japan last year. Ramsey Lewis? Too commercial for Cuscuna, I'm afraid, musically nice, but not as profound as Jamal. Edited January 23, 2023 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Not that I would be familiar with even the majority of the Argo output, but among those I have heard my personal favorite is "Swingin' The Loop" featuring Vito Price "and Company" (Argo LP 631). And next in line for me would be "Chubby's Back" by Chubby Jackson (Argo LP 614). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Sonny Cox! Odell Brown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 I have a fair amount of Argo. Sonny Stitt at the DJ Lounge is one of my favorites. Sonny recorded a lot for them. Cadet was a related label but I have little of that. VMP is doing a Cadet box that spans a few genres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Cadet was the continuation of Argo. The latter label name was claimed by a British classical company that had protected the name earlier than Chess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 2 hours ago, JSngry said: Sonny Cox! Odell Brown! Al Grey, with Billy Mitchell! Sam Lazar! LD (sometimes with Grant!)!! https://www.bsnpubs.com/chess/argo600.html the rest of the discography is available elsewhere on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Japan has given the label some treatment over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 17 hours ago, mjzee said: Is there any sort of consistent thread that goes through Argo releases, or was it just musicians who were in Chicago? Not sure if you mean Chicago musicians, or musicians passing thru or which. I don't think Al Grey was living there, nor LD and they recorded quite a few times. I think their approach was simply what was popular or thought popular enough to have a shot at decent sales. They were happy to nab people like LD when he wasn't contractually obligated to BN because he was, I am sure, a consistent and predictable seller. Check out how they promoted the first hit record by the Jazztet - I shared this on a FB page that is private - Rare Jazz Photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 They did do Chicago players though. Just not exclusively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonewall15 Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Marian McPartland at The London House (Chicago) on Argo label Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 1 hour ago, JSngry said: Did not know that this was actually a reissue of a 50s LA date originally on Zephyr. How did that happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted January 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 Was Jack Tracy the main producer for Argo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) 50 minutes ago, mjzee said: Was Jack Tracy the main producer for Argo? For about two years in 1958-59, Dave Usher (a Detroiter) ran Argo for the Chess brothers and was the main jazz producer -- he did Ahmad at the Pershing among others. He'd drive over to Chicago for the week and return to Detroit on the weekend. Dave, who recently died, had earlier co-founded Dee Gee Records in Detroit with Dizzy Gillespie. Dave left Argo when his father got sick and he returned to Detroit to run the family's modest oil reclamation business. When Dave left, Jack Tracy took over. The coda to the story is that Usher built his family business into one of the world' most notable oil and hazardous waste cleanup business. He struck gold when his company, Marine Pollution Control, was awarded the contract to clean up the Exxon Valdez disaster. In later years, Dave financed a lot of jazz recordings -- he put out those Dizzy in South America recordings from the state department (which he recorded himself on tour with the band), and he financed Annie Ross' late recordings. (He and Annie had a thing ...) Dave was a mensch. I miss him. Edited January 23, 2023 by Mark Stryker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 I seem to recall Ozzie Cadena & Esmond Edwards doing a lot of the production. Especially Edwards. It seems they had a repertoire of producers as well as artists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMP Posted January 23, 2023 Report Share Posted January 23, 2023 How about “Morris Grant Presents J.U.N.K” (or something like that) - has anyone heard that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 1 hour ago, DMP said: How about “Morris Grant Presents J.U.N.K” (or something like that) - has anyone heard that?? Have it! It's a total hoot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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