Jump to content

what is TAMPA records


Guest

Recommended Posts

found the page on jazzdisco.org but it didnt tell any history-- was this the same people who ran pacific jazz? i have a lp on it by Bob Endvolsenen called Reflections- i noticed all the label is west coast jazz....but does anyone have more info?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

found the page on jazzdisco.org but it didnt tell any history-- was this the same people who ran pacific jazz? i have a lp on it by Bob Endvolsenen called Reflections- i noticed all the label is west coast jazz....but does anyone have more info?

I think you mean Bob Enevoldsen...

Tampa and Pacific Jazz were two different labels, i.e. they were not run by the same people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tampa was one of a large number of labels owned by Robert Scherman. It started in 1955. At the end of 1958 Scherman acquired the Mode label and attached it to Tampa. The last Tampa album issued in 1958. After that Scherman started the Interlude label.

Sherman was one of the earliest independent record company owners on the West Coast. He had also owned the Atlas label, which started in 1944 under the name of Premier (which was also the name of a St Louis label, so had to be changed). He sold the label to someone called Sam Lutz in 1949.

Following that, Scherman started the Webster label, which only lasted about a year, from late 1949 to late 1950. He started Skylark records in 1951. That label seems to have closed shortly before Tampa opened for business.

So, from 1944 to the end of the fifties, Scherman consistently operated a string of record companies, almost all of which recorded Jazz and R&B, which seem to have been his main interests. However, he also recorded C&W and Pop music in amongst the Jazz & R&B.

MG

Edited by The Magnificent Goldberg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tampa was one of a large number of labels owned by Robert Scherman. It started in 1955. At the end of 1958 Scherman acquired the Mode label and attached it to Tampa. The last Tampa album issued in 1958. After that Scherman started the Interlude label.

Sherman was one of the earliest independent record company owners on the West Coast. He had also owned the Atlas label, which started in 1944 under the name of Premier (which was also the name of a St Louis label, so had to be changed). He sold the label to someone called Sam Lutz in 1949.

Following that, Scherman started the Webster label, which only lasted about a year, from late 1949 to late 1950. He started Skylark records in 1951. That label seems to have closed shortly before Tampa opened for business.

So, from 1944 to the end of the fifties, Scherman consistently operated a string of record companies, almost all of which recorded Jazz and R&B, which seem to have been his main interests. However, he also recorded C&W and Pop music in amongst the Jazz & R&B.

MG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of Robert Scherman most important labels was Atlas (1944-1948). He is credited for recording Nat "King" Cole, Frankie Laine, Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers and Merle Travis before they became famous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting... I saw a number of VSOP CD's of Tampa material last week. Any recommendations on where to start with this label?

Personally, I like the albums Plas Johnson made:

Drum stuff - Tampa 18 (with George Jenkins)

Bop me daddy - Tampa 24

Drum magic - Tampa 29 (with George Jenkins)

T'ain't very hard bop stuff, however. Nor is it much like standard West Coast material. But it's enthusiastic all right. And Plas has made few jazz albums.

MG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of those Tampa albums had quite kitchy covers.

I loved the cover of the Jimmy Rowles LP 'Let's Get Acquainted With Jazz... For People Who Hate Jazz'.

A fine date with Pete Candoli, Harold Land, Barney Kessel and others. The cover boasted the recording was in Supersonic Sound. My mono copy probably does not do this justice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 years later...

Do the master tapes for any Tampa Records sessions exist, to anyone's knowledge?  

I have no concrete or up-to-date info but it seems like the tapes must have gone somewhere after the demise of Tampa.

A few Tampa LPs were reissued in the 70s/80s on a U.S. budget label (with pretty garish covers, BTW) called "AJ Records" (subtitle: Archives of Jazz) which still said "Supervised by Robert Scherman" on the record labels. So if ex-Tampa boss Robert Scherman had a hand in these later reissues he certainly did not work with needledrops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do the master tapes for any Tampa Records sessions exist, to anyone's knowledge?  

I have no concrete or up-to-date info but it seems like the tapes must have gone somewhere after the demise of Tampa.

A few Tampa LPs were reissued in the 70s/80s on a U.S. budget label (with pretty garish covers, BTW) called "AJ Records" (subtitle: Archives of Jazz) which still said "Supervised by Robert Scherman" on the record labels. So if ex-Tampa boss Robert Scherman had a hand in these later reissues he certainly did not work with needledrops.

Thanks.  You'd think some label might have hopped on these by now.  But then again...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

When Tampa expanded, reissued the catalog in the pink label format, acquired the Mode masters, etc., Scherman was unable to pay his pressing bills. Under California law that property transferred ownership to the pressing plant, Alco Engineering. V.S.O.P. purchased the lot from Alco with the exception of RS 1000 (Tampa TP-20) The Art Pepper Quartet, that was acquired by Laurie Pepper. V.S.O.P. has issued most of what was acquired on vinyl (initially) and now, compact disc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 22/11/2015, 01:00:25, JamesAHarrod said:

V.S.O.P. has issued most of what was acquired on vinyl (initially) and now, compact disc.

That's what I assumed when I saw the question of who was reissuing this. I have many of them, among them the Marty Paich Quartet with Art Pepper.

Edited by Bluesnik
addition of info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...