Private Press Recordings

[Dan Gould]

Stumbled across something on eBay that made me think of a new topic ... "private press" recordings - albums pressed by obscure organizations, not recognized "labels".  What I found (and grabbed) was this:

if that's hard to read it features Norris Turney, Taft Jordan, Benny Morton and Norman Simmons in a program of mostly blues standards from a 1977 NJ concert. Apparently put out by the organization "Harlem One More Time".

So I wonder, does anyone know of other "private press" recordings of note?

 

[duaneiac]

One I can think of is this album put out by the Penn State Jazz Club for its members.  It's a recording of the DBQ at Penn State.

Ooooh -- it was on red vinyl!

And it has found its way to CD.

[jeffcrom]

For years, the Connecticut Traditional Jazz Club put out an annual LP of highlights from their concerts. There were at least 20 volumes. Some of this material later showed up on CD on the Jazz Crusade label, but most of it never appeared anywhere else. I have a couple of the LPs; I particularly like Volume 11, since side one is by the Onward Brass Band with a great lineup - a 1974 concert not to be found elsewhere.

I'm looking for Volume 4, which has outtakes from Capt. John Handy's second RCA album. I'm not sure how they managed that.

[clifford_thornton]

There are thousands of private press jazz LPs.

I'm not sure, however, if you'd include artist-financed independent productions with limited distribution within this rubric. I certainly would, but not everyone agrees. Since I do try to find/document a lot of these records I'd be happy to add some recommendations. 

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

There are thousands of private press jazz LPs.

I'm not sure, however, if you'd include artist-financed independent productions with limited distribution within this rubric. I certainly would, but not everyone agrees. Since I do try to find/document a lot of these records I'd be happy to add some recommendations. 

This is what I was looking for though I'd add, in regards to artist-financed, that we probably don't necessarily need a list of Sun Ra recordings. Also mileage may vary on recent recordings put out on artist labels and, say, sold thru CD Baby. I was really hoping for obscure recordings from the age of vinyl.

[clifford_thornton]

Here you go....

Don Pullen & Milford Graves -- "In Concert at Yale University" and "Nommo" -- (SRP) the quintessential piano-percussion duets from two masters of improvisation. The first one features a bit of electric piano and a hand-painted cover to boot.

Albert Ayler -- "Something Different!!!" -- (Bird Notes) tiny imprint run by Swedish saxophonist Bengt Nordström, which mostly issued his solo saxophone music on LP and 7" in runs of 15-200 copies. There's also a rare record with Don Cherry called "Psychology" that only came out in an edition of 5. Ayler's first and two alternate versions of a second volume were first out on this label.

Kees Hazevoet -- "Pleasure One" -- (Peace) powerful, stirring quartet music from this board's resident Dutch pianist/clarinetist, joined by Louis Moholo, Arjen Gorter and tenor saxophonist Kris Wanders. Issued privately with a beautiful silkscreened cover in an edition of 250 (I think.) by a guy who also released European Beatles bootlegs. 

Pierre Favre/Irene Schwiezer/Peter Kowald -- "Santana" -- (PIP) rugged piano trio from 1968-69 later reissued by FMP. Other European private label jazz LPs that FMP reissued early on: Peter Brötzmann's "Machine Gun" and "Trio," both originally on BRÖ, and Alexander von Schlippenbach's "The Living Music," originally on Quasar.

Seikatsu Kojyo Iinkai - s/t - (SKI) brilliant and relentless avant-garde LP with Kazutoki Umezu (alto sax) Yoryuki Harada (piano, bass clarinet), Ahmed Abdullah (trumpet), William Parker (bass), and Rashied Sinan (drums), recorded at Studio We in 1975. I'm amazed that it hasn't been reissued. The original was manufactured and distributed by the Japanese label ALM (Kojima) but for all intents and purposes is a private-press LP and the only release on the SKI imprint. They did another record with an all Japanese cast, also privately issued (no label at all I don't think) that's impossible to find in its original format. There are bunch of interesting private Japanese jazz LPs -- Itaru Oki's "Murder Classroom," Evolution Ensemble Unity "Concrete Voices," Yosuke Yamashita's "Dancing" -- but I believe all were manufactured by high-quality Japanese companies and unlike some of their European and American counterparts, sound absolutely brilliant.

Michael Cosmic -- "Peace in the World" -- (Cosmic Records) deep, spiraling group improvisations recorded in 1974 and featuring other Boston denizens like saxophonists Leonard Brown and Phill Musra, drummer Huseyin Ertunc, bassist John Jamyll Jones and percussionist Eric Jackson (yes, the radio DJ). Cosmic sticks primarily to piano here and sounds a bit like Lowell Davidson. He, his brother Phill and Ertunc made two other records together as a trio for the tiny Intex label. Other Boston private jazz LPs of note -- Worlds' and the World's Experience Orchestra, two LPs by trumpeter Mark Harvey (quartet and duet), and the first recordings of David S. Ware under alto saxophonist Abdul Hannan's leadership -- are all worth seeking out.

Leo Jones -- "Fire Engine and Crossover" -- (Mirrosonic) Leo Jones was/is a trumpeter who studied under Bill Dixon, and this is a ripping electric jazz/free fusion LP he cut with a bunch of New York high school and junior high school students ca. 1974. It's great and rather surprisingly cohesive considering the green-ness of the ensemble. Mirrosonic was a custom LP manufacturing imprint and I can't imagine there are too many copies of this thing floating around.

[clifford_thornton]

from the less "out" files I'll add:

J.R. Monterose -- "In Action" -- (Heavy Soul Music) this has been reissued & is 'around.' Wonderful duets w/ Han Bennink and a larger, somewhat trippy Afro-Caribbean ensemble din feat. Steve Boston, John Grunberg and Jan Jacobs on the second side.

Ben Webster -- "In Hot House" -- (Hot House) fantastic later quartet session with Tete, Eric Ineke and Rob Langereis issued by the jazz club Hot House in the late 70s/early 80s. Really lovely date.

 

 

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

from the less "out" files I'll add:

J.R. Monterose -- "In Action" -- (Heavy Soul Music) this has been reissued & is 'around.' Wonderful duets w/ Han Bennink and a larger, somewhat trippy Afro-Caribbean ensemble din feat. Steve Boston, John Grunberg and Jan Jacobs on the second side.

Ben Webster -- "In Hot House" -- (Hot House) fantastic later quartet session with Tete, Eric Ineke and Rob Langereis issued by the jazz club Hot House in the late 70s/early 80s. Really lovely date.

 

 

Now these are the kind I was hoping for. Thanks Cliff.

[clifford_thornton]

I tend to think of "private press" implying a small number of copies of a given release but maybe that's not accurate. Those E. Parker McDougal records on Grits are an example of some very fine Chicago jazz released on the artist's own imprint -- not rare (surely at least 1,000 of each title) but well worth seeking out. The bands are great, bluesy post-bop and include such Chicago luminaries as George Freeman, Wilbur Campbell, Willie Pickens, Steve McCall, Dan Shapera, and Robert Shy.

[soulpope]

5 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

 

Ben Webster -- "In Hot House" -- (Hot House) fantastic later quartet session with Tete, Eric Ineke and Rob Langereis issued by the jazz club Hot House in the late 70s/early 80s. Really lovely date.

Excellent stuff ....

[clifford_thornton]

Really love pianist Howard Riley's debut, with Jon Hiseman on drums and Barry Guy on bass. Titled "Discussions" it was initially released in a run of 99 copies by Chris Wellard's Opportunity imprint in 1968. Riley is apparently holding a bunch of those back to sell on 'retirement' or whatever. Sawano reissued it in Japan maybe 15 years ago? That's the version I have, and it was also a very limited issue with a letter of authenticity by Riley himself. FMR put it on CD a few years ago though that seems to have vanished as well...

[sidewinder]

23 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Really love pianist Howard Riley's debut, with Jon Hiseman on drums and Barry Guy on bass. Titled "Discussions" it was initially released in a run of 99 copies by Chris Wellard's Opportunity imprint in 1968. Riley is apparently holding a bunch of those back to sell on 'retirement' or whatever. Sawano reissued it in Japan maybe 15 years ago? That's the version I have, and it was also a very limited issue with a letter of authenticity by Riley himself. FMR put it on CD a few years ago though that seems to have vanished as well...

Clifford - I picked this one up about 5 years ago and I don't think it was FMR although I may be wrong. Since then it has also been reissued over here on CD on another label (can't recall which).

I thought that run of 99 copies was initially reduced due to some of them being disposed of so Howard probably has a total monopoly on what is potentially out there.

Also in the 'private pressing' category - the late UK guitarist Frank Evans on his own 'Blue Bag' label.

Edited August 5, 2016 by sidewinder

[Tom in RI]

Terry Lynn Carrington had an lp out as a teenager which featured George Coleman, I believe her parents funded the project. I have a copy.

[clifford_thornton]

Ah right, I think I've seen that thing before.

[jcam_44]

Christian Scott's first release was a self-titled, self-produced outing he funded while still at Berkley. 

[brownie]

Private lp: Jazz at  A. N.A. (Army and Navy Academy)  'presented by Class of 58' featuring  the Lighthouse All Stars  (Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper,  Victor Feldman, Scott LaFaro, Howard Rumsey, Stan Levey),  a  1958 concert!

[Dan Gould]

4 hours ago, brownie said:

Private lp: Jazz at  A. N.A. (Army and Navy Academy)  'presented by Class of 58' featuring  the Lighthouse All Stars  (Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper,  Victor Feldman, Scott LaFaro, Howard Rumsey, Stan Levey),  a  1958 concert!

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! 

Although with that lineup I think if it ever showed up for auction it would go for quite a pretty penny.

[gmonahan]

8 hours ago, brownie said:

Private lp: Jazz at  A. N.A. (Army and Navy Academy)  'presented by Class of 58' featuring  the Lighthouse All Stars  (Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper,  Victor Feldman, Scott LaFaro, Howard Rumsey, Stan Levey),  a  1958 concert!

Oh, I'd go for that!

 

 

gregmo

[clifford_thornton]

Me too - never seen it.

This one always hurt my feelings a bit:

https://www.discogs.com/Kenny-Durham-Julian-Euell-Barry-Harris-2-Al-Heath-Jazz-At-PS-175/release/7901442

[bertrand]

Where would the original tape for that KD CD be located?

Bertrand.

[soulpope]

Bobby Jones (ts,cl) + Dusko Goykovich (tp) + Horace Parlan (p) + Peter Trunk (b) + Todd Canedy (dr)

Recorded on March 18, 1973 at the Stadtsaal in Burghausen, Germany during the Jazzwoche 1973. 
Extremely rare Benefit-Record released to support the critically ill saxophon player Bobby Jones by the IG-Jazz Burghausen. He was suffering an emphysema which after 1974 disabled him to perform - this is a superb concert performance and one of the few cases when extreme rarity and quality match each other ....

[clifford_thornton]

4 hours ago, bertrand said:

Where would the original tape for that KD CD be located?

Bertrand.

No idea in the slightest. It was taped by the HARYOU organization; maybe WKCR has a copy? The Raretone reissue is a needle-drop I believe.

That Bobby Jones rec looks cool - only have Hill Country Suite and his performances w/ Mingus.

[johnblitweiler]

On 8/1/2016 at 2:45 PM, clifford_thornton said:

I tend to think of "private press" implying a small number of copies of a given release but maybe that's not accurate. Those E. Parker McDougal records on Grits are an example of some very fine Chicago jazz released on the artist's own imprint -- not rare (surely at least 1,000 of each title) but well worth seeking out. The bands are great, bluesy post-bop and include such Chicago luminaries as George Freeman, Wilbur Campbell, Willie Pickens, Steve McCall, Dan Shapera, and Robert Shy.

Yes, indeed, very true. McDougal was a beautifully melodic tenor saxophonist.

[six string]

Aren't some or maybe all of Lloyd McNeil's recordings considered private presses?  My understanding is that at least for the early releases were pressed at around 1,000 units.  

 

When is a private press not a small local company making records?  Or is that the working definition?

Edited September 22, 2016 by six string

[clifford_thornton]

I think of the private press as something run by an artist or artist's collective putting out only their music and generally not connected to a large distribution service (the exception being NMDS and North Country in the US -- not sure elsewhere) and releasing titles in relatively small quantities, say 1,000 or fewer.

Lloyd McNeil's records were privately pressed, yes.