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Inner City label.


Dmitry

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I know Inner City primarily as a US-based reissue label for the SteepleChase and Enja LPs, and other European labels.

Today I bought this Archie Shepp record - Doodlin'. It bears catalogue #IC 1001, which makes me specualte that this was the first IC record to be released, and not a reissue of another label. Which other IC records were original releases? What info do we have on the label itself? Who ran it, when and why did it perish, etc.?

9000719front.jpg

This has Alan Shorter on it. :tup

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I can tell you that it was a division of Music Minus One, and that most of its original releases were of the fusion & vocal variety (Jeff Lorber got his start on thae label), and that there's a very good discography of the label HERE if you can get it to work.

I don't think that the Shepp was an IC "original", they licensed from a lot of labels, but I could well be wrong.

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I don't think that the Shepp was an IC "original", they licensed from a lot of labels, but I could well be wrong.

Jim, looks like it is an original IC release. Just checked with the jazzdisco.org

Archie Shepp - Doodlin' (Inner City IC 1001)

Alan Shorter (flh) Archie Shepp (p) Bob Reid (b) Muhammad Ali (d)

Paris, France, November, 1970

Sweet Georgia Brown

Doodlin'

Invitation

Worried About You

If You Could See Me Now

More Than You Know

Coral Rock

LP was released in 1976. I guess he sold them the tapes.

I can't open that discography page.

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I have this ( and others):

1017 Ted Curson Jubilant Power

Lot of Steeplechase releases came out on Inner City. Love those records with dexter and Jackie!

From our friend Scott Yanow:

Inner City

During the decade after it was formed in 1976 by Irv Kratka (as a subsidiary of the MMO Music Group), Inner City issued and repackaged a large amount of jazz LPs in the US. On its Classic Jazz division prebop music (much of it taken from the European Black & Blue label) was made available domestically, while the main Inner City label ranged from bop (including music licensed from Steeple Chase, Enja and East Wind) and the avant-garde to fusion and crossover. Inner City also distributed the Choise label. Overall Inner City was responsible for the release of around 200 records before it became inactive in the mid-'80s. While the Chice, Enja and Steeple Chase releases have been reissued on CD by the parent companies, Inner City's own output remains out of print.

-Scott Yanow

Edited by marcello
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I have an issue of Doodlin' on Overseas Records (Japan). The label on that reads: Licence/Carson Records, France.

I don't think that the Shepp was an IC "original", they licensed from a lot of labels, but I could well be wrong.

Jim, looks like it is an original IC release. Just checked with the jazzdisco.org

Archie Shepp - Doodlin' (Inner City IC 1001)

Alan Shorter (flh) Archie Shepp (p) Bob Reid (b) Muhammad Ali (d)

Paris, France, November, 1970

Sweet Georgia Brown

Doodlin'

Invitation

Worried About You

If You Could See Me Now

More Than You Know

Coral Rock

LP was released in 1976. I guess he sold them the tapes.

I can't open that discography page.

I can't either...

Looks like this one might have originally geen done for the "Carson Records, France" thing. That would make sense, given the date & personnel.

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I was in New York when those two Elmo Hope were released in 1977. Bought those LPs at the old J&R location at Nassau Street!

The sessions were produced by Herb Abramson for his Festival Records label but seem to have remained unissued until their Inner City releases!

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That 'Doodlin' date was recorded in France but was not released here. There were new Shepp albums coming out every month at the time on various labels. Don't think they sold that well.

'Doodlin' was originally released in Japan on Overseas.

I have seen a reference to Carson UPS-570 as its "original" catalog number.

Carson also issued the AEC's Chi-Congo (originally on Decca). This is the only title on the Carson label I've actually held in my hands.

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Quite a few where licenced from Japanse labels. Pressing quality wasn't that good unfortunately.

I'm surprised by that comment as the few Inner City LPs I have are all good pressings with a nice full sound.

They weren't as bad as Trip, but their pressings were generally pretty mediocre (cheap vinyl, I would guess).

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Quite a few where licenced from Japanse labels. Pressing quality wasn't that good unfortunately.

I'm surprised by that comment as the few Inner City LPs I have are all good pressings with a nice full sound.

They weren't as bad as Trip, but their pressings were generally pretty mediocre (cheap vinyl, I would guess).

Yep, usually badly warped too. I have two of the Art Farmer East Winds on this label. They sound suprisingly good - but I bet the East Winds are 2000% better.

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  • 1 year later...

Just picked up Shepp's Doodlin' today to add to my InnerCity collection. Don't have high hopes for Doodlin'. Except I'm hoping (highly) that he doesn't sing. Much.

Probably won't see my turntable until early '09, so don't expect me to post impressions right away. :unsure:

Edited by BeBop
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