The Jaki Byard 78 RPM Mystery Record

[Hardbopjazz]

A very nice article. It made wonder what may be lost before anyone today ever knew it existed. 

Full article.  
https://josephwwashek.substack.com/p/the-jaki-byard-78-rpm-mystery-record

 

Records are endless, their number infinite in the span of human life, not only the records manufactured now and sold new but also all those of the past, the classic icon and the unknown masterpiece records which are sometimes found in the flea markets, the Goodwills and the junk shops in the same bins with multitudes of the records, probably not heard by anyone for decades, of artists; some once popular, all now long forgotten. No one could hear or know of any but the tiniest percentage of all the records that exist. The record collector searches in wondrous puzzlement.

Discographies are guides to aid record collectors in their hunting and gathering in the infinite. The jazz discography, the result of many decades of work by many researchers, exceeds 34,000 pages and theoretically lists all jazz records by even the most obscure artists with label and issue numbers, the recording dates, the personnel, and the names of the tunes.

But what if a record by a well known and highly respected jazz artist wasn’t listed in the jazz discography? In the world of jazz collectors and scholars, it would not exist, even as a fabled rarity. No one would search for it. Scholars wouldn’t seek information about it. Collectors wouldn’t ask each other, “Have you ever seen a copy of ..…….. ,” seeking confirmation and assurance that the record existed and that it could be acquired given enough time, determination, and money. The record would be waiting, silent, until a collector found it.

 

[JSngry]

Wow!

My starting assumption would be that since that B-Side is credited to Byard, that the main (almost only) solo would be him, on tenor.

Of course, that's just an assumption, nothing more.

I do find it interesting that the label claims New York, not Boston, and that Holiday is spelled with one "l"...maybe it's the name of the label owner?

[Big Beat Steve]

Really amazing ...

[Big Beat Steve]

The "boston Jazz Chronicles" book by Richard Vacca has the below about the early  career of Jaki Byard. Maybe the involvement with these bands might give a hint as to the idenitity of the other band members on that 78?

 

[Niko]

I looked a bit into the label, Holiday Records of New York on archive.org and google books... a label like that is mentioned in a book called "The Jazzfinder '49", the Holiday Records Company ("Records Co" it says on the label of the Byard record) at 353 East 32nd St New York, NY. In a book called "The R & B indies" by Bob McGrath of which I could only see snippets there was this address as well as  3 East 43rd St New York, NY and two names, George Erlinger and Nelson Lewis. No clue so far about Lewis but Erlinger appears in a book called The Birth of Folkways Records (here). Apparently, he took over Disc Records from Moe Asch in 1948. 

In the July 1949 issue of Variety we read that

Holiday Records Co. Inc., chartered to conduct a recording business, and Holiday Record Distributors Inc. chartered to carry on business, with the same directors and with a capital stock of 200 shares, no par value, for each. 

and in the 23 September 1949 issue of Downbeat, we read that 

Granz Halts Disc Use Of JATP Sides

New York—Norman Granz has been granted a temporary injunction against George Erlinger and joins Disc from using either Granz’ name or Jazz at the Philharmonic in conjunction with the production, distribution, or sale of records. Platters in question are JATP albums volumes 2, 3, 4, and 5. Erlinger, who founded Disc in 1947 with Moe Asch, took over the company from Asch in 1948. Granz claims the JATP platters released on the Disc label were made under a deal with Asch personally and he refuses to honor the transfer of rights to these masters to Erlinger. Granz charges that since Asch left Disc in 1948, Erlinger has been producing JATP albums in violation of his, Granz’, rights. Granz says he is legal owner of the masters, wants them delivered to him, and wants an accounting from Erlinger and a permanent injunction against further production.

Granz has a $100,000 damage suit pending against Erlinger and Disc. The temporary injunction was granted pending trial of the suit. If he recovers the masters, Granz will probably turn them over to Mercury records, with which he now has a contract.

so at this point, the best guess for the story of the label is that it was started in July 1949 by Erlinger for his own non-Asch operations and then went downhill in September of the same year when Erlinger got into legal trouble... Wish I still had the newspapers.org subscription... then again, maybe it's better I don't... I could imagine that there is more in some of the US legal databases...  

[Niko]

and one more article from Billboard 25 September 1948, so about a year earlier

New Indie Set On Disc's Wax

NEW YORK, Sept. 18.— Utilizing soma 600 masters acquired from Moe Asch's Disc catalog, a new indie is opening shop here under the name of Holiday Record Company. Nominal owner and director is Nelson Lewis, formerly with Disc as sales manager, but backing is understood to have been put up by George J. Erlinger, owner of the Eastern Record Company plant.

Half of the masters were purchased by Erlinger from Asch, the others from the Clark Phonograph Record Company in Newark, N. J. George Clark has acquired masters from Asch, who had assigned them to Clark in advance of pressing as security against pressing charges. When Asch defaulted, Clark kept possession.

Lewis said that the Holiday label will aim for a mass rather than a cultist sale, with emphasis on race, jazz, rural and authentic folk material. The platters, all 10-inchers, will retail for 79 cents, with the first release of six due next week, including sides by Charlie Ventura, Errol Garner, Muggsy Spanier and Lonnie Johnson. Eastern Records will press, and distribbing will be done by some of the distribbers who had handled the Disc line. Phoenix has been set as New York distribber

and Downbeat on 2 December 1949 - so a bit later

Granz Suit Takes A Different Twist

New York—Norman Granz’ efforts to regain the Jazz at the Philharmonic masters cut for the Disc label have taken a new turn with the elimination from the picture of George Erlinger. who had claimed the masters. Erlinger has sold the platters to Joseph J. Corn, who is now the sole defendant in Granz’ suit to get the wax back. Production on the records has been stopped for several months as the result of an injunction obtained by Granz. Corn, meanwhile, has given an option on the masters to the new Arco label to be put out by the  American Record company of Newark, N. J. If Granz fails in his efforts to get the masters, Arco would put out the records in a royalty deal with Corn.

[Niko]

Billboard 23 October 1948

HOLIDAY LABEL BOWS

NEW YORK, Oct. 16.—A new label, Holiday Records, made its debut here this week with entries in both folk and race fields. The waxery, headed by Nelson Lewis, former sales manager for Disk Company of America, has pacted 12 distributors thruout the country, with Phoenix Disk handling local sales. The initial wax offering features Ken O’Rourke with the Rhythm Rangers, and the Starlight Gospel Singers.

Billboard of 30 October 1948 mentions 

K. O’Rourke & The Rhythm Rangers (Sweet Doll) Holiday 3001
and 
K. O’Rourke & The Rhythm Rangers (Don’t Sigh) Holiday 3001

that record can be seen here

https://mail.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/nc984027us

the design is completely different... whatever that means, if there were actually two Holiday Record Companies in New York around 1948... or if they decided to change the design going from the first to the second record...  

[Big Beat Steve]

16 hours ago, Niko said:

I looked a bit into the label, Holiday Records of New York on archive.org and google books... a label like that is mentioned in a book called "The Jazzfinder '49", the Holiday Records Company ("Records Co" it says on the label of the Byard record) at 353 East 32nd St New York, NY.

 

I have that book and can check closer. So just to speed up my "research": Did you see which page this label is mentioned in the Jazzfinder 49 book?

[Niko]

it's page 117 in the Jazzfinder 49... Doubting a bit if it's really the same label though... 

[Big Beat Steve]

Thanks Niko. I should have thought of that label listing at the end of this book ... The asterisik by the HOLIDAY entry means it is one of the labels "stil current at the time of compilation". But I have doubts about it too. The Billboard text of 25/09/48 that you quote mentions a release by Charlie Ventura. The label of this is shown here:

https://www.discogs.com/de/release/7116579-Charles-Ventura-George-Walter-Gene-Krupa-Body-And-Soul

https://www.discogs.com/de/label/999868-Holiday-Record-Co

Evidently the same label as the one by the Rhythm Rangers that you listed, except that the color of the label is different. So this indeed seems to be a different label (with a "straight" Holiday script) . Not the one with the "bizarre" Holiday script that is on the "Jackie" Byard 78.
So the race still is on.

 

[Ken Dryden]

On 2/5/2025 at 3:39 PM, Hardbopjazz said:

A very nice article. It made wonder what may be lost before anyone today ever knew it existed. 

Full article.  
https://josephwwashek.substack.com/p/the-jaki-byard-78-rpm-mystery-record

 

Records are endless, their number infinite in the span of human life, not only the records manufactured now and sold new but also all those of the past, the classic icon and the unknown masterpiece records which are sometimes found in the flea markets, the Goodwills and the junk shops in the same bins with multitudes of the records, probably not heard by anyone for decades, of artists; some once popular, all now long forgotten. No one could hear or know of any but the tiniest percentage of all the records that exist. The record collector searches in wondrous puzzlement.

Discographies are guides to aid record collectors in their hunting and gathering in the infinite. The jazz discography, the result of many decades of work by many researchers, exceeds 34,000 pages and theoretically lists all jazz records by even the most obscure artists with label and issue numbers, the recording dates, the personnel, and the names of the tunes.

But what if a record by a well known and highly respected jazz artist wasn’t listed in the jazz discography? In the world of jazz collectors and scholars, it would not exist, even as a fabled rarity. No one would search for it. Scholars wouldn’t seek information about it. Collectors wouldn’t ask each other, “Have you ever seen a copy of ..…….. ,” seeking confirmation and assurance that the record existed and that it could be acquired given enough time, determination, and money. The record would be waiting, silent, until a collector found it.

 

It sounds like Jaki Byard on piano, though a little less intense than we are used to hearing.

i have been in touch with Jaki’s daughter and she sent me a dub of a cassette labeled 1948, a home recorded acetate that Jaki told me about it in my 1990 interview with me.