"The Revolution Will Be Recorded: The Flying Dutchman Story"

[ghost of miles]

Last week's Night Lights program, The Revolution Will Be Recorded: The Flying Dutchman Story, took a look at producer Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label and is now archived for online listening. It includes music from Gil Scott-Heron, Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson (lots of Oliver Nelson!), Leon Thomas, Gato Barbieri, Louis Armstrong and others, as well as excerpts from some of the spoken-word recordings that the label released. There was so much to cover that I'm going to do a sequel next year.

[felser]

Such an interesting label - thanks!  I especially love the Gato Barbieri albums on the label, this being my favorite, but so many great albums by him, Nelson, Leon Thomas, etc.

[Dan Gould]

David, if you need this one for Episode 2, I can provide.

[felser]

This gem was a miracle release at the time:

[Ken Dryden]

I did a phone interview with Bob Thiele in May 1995 when he published his memoir, though I don't recall him talking specifically about Flying Dutchman.

I don't think that I owned many Flying Dutchman LPs at that time, but here is an excerpt:

Ken Dryden

At what point did you leave impulse and then eventually start flying Dutchman?

Bob Thiele

Oh, goodness. I would, I'm terrible on dates, but it would seem like the late 60s, really. And usually I started these, I've had a few labels and nothing ever really worked out financially for the various companies that I formed.

 

And so it always involved the executives again. We'd say, well, damn it, I don't like the way these guys operate. I'm going to start my own company with much bravado and wound up a couple of years later, wishing I hadn't done it, but I think we made some good records.

Ken Dryden

I agree. The one in particular in Flying Dutchman that stands out in my mind is the duo piano, well, plus rhythm section and Mike Lipskin.

 

Bob Thiele

Oh, yeah, I forgot all about that. Oh, Mike was working at RCA at the time. He wasn't really a professional musician, but he loved to play ragtime and he loved Willie the Lion and James P. Johnson, people like that. And to be honest with you, Ken, I don't even know how we came about it, but we did it.

----

As a postscript, when Bob Thiele died, it was discovered that his final label, Red Baron, was a Ponzi scheme with well over 100% of the company sold to investors, so it promptly folded. One artist who recorded for him suspected that he just enjoyed making records, rather than trying to swindle tha money to spend elsewhere.

Edited Saturday at 02:27 PM by Ken Dryden

[GA Russell]

When I think of Flying Dutchman, I think of Leon Thomas.

[felser]

3 hours ago, GA Russell said:

When I think of Flying Dutchman, I think of Leon Thomas.

His 'Live in Berlin' with Nelson is great.  Foundational album for me.  My local library had it and Gato's 'El Pampero' in the album stacks when I first got into jazz, and I fell in love with both albums, still love them today 50+ years later. 

[ghost of miles]

On 3/8/2025 at 4:54 PM, GA Russell said:

When I think of Flying Dutchman, I think of Leon Thomas.

This is the excellent single-disc compilation that I listened to while preparing the show:

[JSngry]