Bernard Stollman RIP

[clifford_thornton]

He passed last night. Just got the word from the label. He was 85 and in poor health. I have complex feelings about him as an individual and the ESP label was both brilliant and misguided at different times, but damn - that's quite a legacy. RIP.

[Joe]

Complicated man and legacy indeed. But no denying his visionary streak, or his ears (which were big, as far as I can tell).

[BeBop]

For this moment, I'll appreciate what he left us without worrying about "how?".

[JSngry]

Well, shit.

RIP, and thanks for leaving things better (if not always "nicer") than you found them.

[Leeway]

At the moment when it counted most for many musicians, he provided a vehicle for great art. It would be very hard to imagine not having ESP-Disk. Thank you Mr. Stollman, RIP.

[colinmce]

At the moment when it counted most for many musicians, he provided a vehicle for great art. It would be very hard to imagine not having ESP-Disk. Thank you Mr. Stollman, RIP.

Co-sign

[paul secor]

I don't know exactly what went on between him and the musicians and if it was on the up and up. I do know that the music which the musicians made and which his record company released changed my life. That's something that can't be denied.

[mjzee]

He definitely fit his times. I can't imagine an East Village without Stollman (but that East Village is long gone, I guess). RIP.

[king ubu]

At the moment when it counted most for many musicians, he provided a vehicle for great art. It would be very hard to imagine not having ESP-Disk. Thank you Mr. Stollman, RIP.

Co-sign

yup - r.i.p.

Edited April 20, 2015 by king ubu

[johnblitweiler]

He was with us when jazz needed him most.

[Chuck Nessa]

Lots of mixed feelings here. Maybe I will resurrect a piece I wrote about Bernard in 2005. Hope I can find it.

[felser]

Sincere question: Did anybody (Stollman and/or the musicians) really make any meaningful money from the label?

[Chuck Nessa]

Probably not.

[Justin V]

It's a tough year for label legends. Rest in peace, Mr. Stollman, and thank you for your work.

[Chuck Nessa]

My (slightly revised piece from 2005):

MY CONTACTS WITH BERNARD STOLLMAN

Chapter 1: THE PHANTOM

Early 1968, with one record issued and a 2nd in the can, I received a

letter from Elizabeth Van Der Mei on ESP stationery (cream color

paper with green hand print). I recognized the name from "new music"

articles she had written for various publications. In the letter she indicated

she was working for ESP, they were considering distribution deals

with other independent labels and wanted to include me. I think we

exchanged a couple more letters and I decided to make my first trip to

NYC to discuss the proposal with Elizabeth and Bernard.

From 1967 through 1974 I worked for a chain of record stores called

Discount Records. I asked for a couple of days off, to make the trip and

booked a ticket for my first venture to the Apple. I wrote Elizabeth of

my plans and told her when to expect me.

I cabbed directly from the airport to ESP, suitcase in hand. I don't

remember the address, but their offices were in a quaint old building

that looked like it might house the office of Sam Spade. That may be why

my memories of the visit are in black and white. I opened the door to

the small reception area to be greeted by a pretty, young (18?), thin,

large breasted female in what seemed to be a perpetually wet t-shirt.

She was eating a sandwich at her desk. She told me Elizabeth was in

Europe and maybe didn't work there anymore. She said Bernard was

at his psychiatrist, and called down the hall for someone to come talk to me.

This nice elderly couple waddled down the hall, and invited me

into another room. She was in a flowered dress and he was in a black

suit, unbuttoned vest, white shirt and tie. They said they were

Bernard's parents and though they were retired (from the garment

industry I believe), had gone to work for their son. Pop said Bernard needed help

with "business things". They were "beamingly" proud of Bernard and said

they were delighted to meet one of his colleagues. They told me Bernard

was having some problems, had gone to the doctor four days in a row, but

would be in the office at 4 o'clock. I mentioned the need to find a

hotel, and said I would return at 4. They yelled to the receptionist to book a

room for me and I returned to her desk. "Miss Congeniality" said I could

go home with her, but I declined and took a room at the New Yorker Hotel.

When I returned at 4, I was greeted a guy sitting behind the receptionist's

desk. He said he was Bernard's best friend, Bernard could not come to the

office, and his parents called him to talk to me. This "slick looking business

type" said "So you have a record. Give it to me and I'll check it out. I don't

understand this stuff myself, but I'll give it to my kid. He's only 14, but he's

smart as a whip". I declined and left.

I bummed around the city the next day and flew home that night. While

exploring the streets of Manhattan, I did notice a strange black and silver

record jacket in a store window and copped "Cosmic Music" on Coltrane

Records, so the trip was not a complete waste of time.

Chapter 2: THE PEDDLER

Jump ahead to 1973. I'm now a regional manager for Discount. We live in

Boston and I have stores in Burlington VT, Amherst, Albany, Cambridge,

Boston, Stamford CT, Greenwich Village and Scarsdale. The Scarsdale

store was the front part of a building that housed the home office of

the company. My normal routine when visiting the NYC area stores was to

call on Stamford first, then Scarsdale, get a room in the city and spend

the 2nd day at the Village store.

One afternoon after visiting the Stamford store, I arrive at the home

office to find Bernard waiting for me. He was a tall, thin, brown

suited, slightly shabby looking salesman with a tattered sample case. He

was there to sell records to Irwin Katz, the exec vp and buyer for the chain.

Earlier someone had mentioned my name in Bernard's presence, and he

waited to greet me. He seemed very untogether, and fumbled through his case

locating a copy of his new Frank Lowe record. He proudly pointed out Joseph

Jarman's name on the jacket, and mentioned a session occurring "as we speak"

with Raphael Donald Garrett "and his family".

By the time I got home with the new record, the liner notes separated from the jacket. I put

the record on the turntable, and the pressing was horrible. Obviously

ESP was on hard times.

Chapter 3: THE PHANTOM RETURNS

In the Spring of 1979 Ann and I traveled to Boston (from home in Chicago) to attend the NAIRD convention. This was a trade convention for

independent labels and distributors. A fixture at all these get-togethers

is always a “trade show”, where companies had display tables and booths.

This year a larger than normal percentage of participants were jazz people.

On the first day, while setting up our table, I was aware of a couple

watching from across the room. The man wore black jeans, black

turtleneck, black stocking cap and carried a black leather coat. The tall,

woman was in black as well, with gold jewelry accents. They exhibited the

spare elegance of money. After a few minutes they approached and he

said "Mr. Nessa, Bernard Stollman here" then he introduced his companion

as his fiancé. During the introductions he told her "This is a very

great man". Where the hell did that come from? He said he came to

check out the business climate to see if he should reactivate the label.

As he walked away he said "It's important we talk tomorrow".

At breakfast the next morning someone, Bob Porter I think, suggested a

group photo of all the jazz producers at the convention. Ann got her

camera and we proceeded to round up all the appropriate people. Checking

with the desk, we discovered the Stollman party had checked out.

EPILOGUE:

A few months ago Bernard made an appearance on the Sun Ra mailing list.

I sent him an e-mail and he chose not to respond.

[peterintoronto]

Great piece, Chuck, thanks for posting it!

I once placed an order via the official ESP-DISK site (some CDs, a DVD, and a book of the label's history), and still hadn't received it after a month or longer. I emailed them a copy of my PayPal receipt, and shortly after received a call from Bernard personally.

He apologized for having misplaced the order, and promised to have it right in the mail. When it arrived, he had personally inscribed his book to me. I thought it was really cool that he took the time to call me and make sure things were made right.

I can't speak on his dealings with any of the musicians he recorded, but I will always celebrate his label. ESP-DISK made some incredible, vital albums, and the label is entirely unique in design.

Edited April 21, 2015 by peterintoronto

[uli]

Great piece, Chuck, thanks for posting it!

yes!

[sidewinder]

Really enjoyed reading the article again - and sorry to hear that he has passed.

Edited April 21, 2015 by sidewinder

[king ubu]

Ha, missed congeniality there

Thanks for sharing, Chuck!

[JohnS]

RIP, thanks for all the music.

[Head Man]

Yes, thanks for sharing that, Chuck.

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks, Chuck - don't know if I could've avoided the secretary's offer, however!

[brownie]

One of the most interesting person I ever met.

We kept in touch through the years ever since we met in 1965. Last time we talked over the phone two years ago, we discussed a couple of projects. He mentioned a possible visit to Paris after going to Switzerland on business. That get-together did not happen.

Spinning some ESPs now in fond remembrances....

[Larry Kart]

Great piece, Chuck. "They exhibited the spare elegance of money." Yes!

I think your experiences and the striking way you conveyed them captured one of the essential aspects of Stollman -- that he was at any moment at once there and not there, a shape changer of some primal, ectoplasmic sort. (Perhaps, as he saw it, his debts and obligations were owed in another universe.)

BTW, other than the records he made (which certainly are evidence of a powerful sort), does anyone have direct evidence of the nature of Stollman's involvement in/understanding of the music he recorded? Or was he perhaps a New York area, "my folks have some money" Bohemian-sharpie type whose life briefly ran parallel to those of Ayler et al. and who saw and/or lived out the whole schmeer as part of his personal up-and-down financial/psychological "development." If so, he's not the only man or woman of that type that I knew or heard of. They abounded on the literary scene, bankrolling or editing this or that magazine or publishing venture, then disappearing without a trace for years, only to emerge as the spouses of the hedge fund managers or as bodies floating in the Gowanus Canal.

[mjzee]

BTW, other than the records he made (which certainly are evidence of a powerful sort), does anyone have direct evidence of the nature of Stollman's involvement in/understanding of the music he recorded? Or was he perhaps a New York area, "my folks have some money" Bohemian-sharpie type whose life briefly ran parallel to those of Ayler et al. and who saw and/or lived out the whole schmeer as part of his personal up-and-down financial/psychological "development." If so, he's not the only man or woman of that type that I knew or heard of. They abounded on the literary scene, bankrolling or editing this or that magazine or publishing venture, then disappearing without a trace for years, only to emerge as the spouses of the hedge fund managers or as bodies floating in the Gowanus Canal.

Stollman's Wikipedia page will answer some of your questions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Stollman I wonder whether his parents were Holocaust survivors.