EmArcy Records

[Teasing the Korean]

I have accumulated an awful lot of LPs over the decades on the EmArcy label.  

I realized today that I know almost nothing about the label, except that it was a jazz label and a subsidiary of Mercury Records.

So I waddled over to Wikipedia to see what else I could learn, and Wikipedia told me, basically, that EmArcy is a jazz label and a subsidiary of Mercury Records.

It seems that Mercury and Columbia were the only major postwar US labels who dedicated themselves to jazz in any kind of organized, strategic fashion.  Yet while I know about George Avakian, Teo Macero, and Irving Townsend, I know zilch about EmArcy.

So can our esteemed community shed any additional light on the label, or provide a Web link?  Who were the EmArcy masterminds?  Did Mercury treat EmArcy as the folly of some junior executive, or did they recognize jazz as an important American genre?   How did the records sell?  Based on what I've encountered over the years, I would guess they sold fewer copies than Columbia, but more than any of the independents.  

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[paul secor]

Here's some info: http://thejazzlabels.com/label/emarcy-records/#.Weag7uRe75o

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, paul secor said:

Here's some info: http://thejazzlabels.com/label/emarcy-records/#.Weag7uRe75o

Thank you!

[paul secor]

Thank you. I knew very little about Emarcy before you started this thread, and now I know at least a little more. I'm sure that others will add to our knowledge.

[kh1958]

They sure knew how to record Clifford Brown--his sound leaps out of those old Emarcy LPs and sounds alive in the room.

[GA Russell]

I remember the story Quincy Jones told in his autobiography video.  Mercury hired him to be in charge of their jazz records.  He asked them what they considered a jazz record to be, and they said, "Anything that sells less than 20,000 copies!"

[Teasing the Korean]

8 hours ago, GA Russell said:

I remember the story Quincy Jones told in his autobiography video.  Mercury hired him to be in charge of their jazz records.  He asked them what they considered a jazz record to be, and they said, "Anything that sells less than 20,000 copies!"

Ha! Mercury, of course, had an impressive classical line, "Mercury Living Presence."  I wonder how those LPs sold?  I also wonder if Mercury's jazz sessions used any of the same engineers as those on the classical recordings.  

There must be jazz artists today who wish they could sell 19,999 copies of their records. 

[GA Russell]

TTK, I once read (perhaps in Miles' approved biography) that he urged Cannonball to sign with a label that took jazz seriously, like Blue Note; and was disappointed when Cannon signed with Mercury.

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, GA Russell said:

TTK, I once read (perhaps in Miles' approved biography) that he urged Cannonball to sign with a label that took jazz seriously, like Blue Note; and was disappointed when Cannon signed with Mercury.

Looking through EmArcy's discography, it would appear that they took jazz "seriously," certainly in comparison to the other majors (except Columbia).

[JSngry]

Usually you can get a good basic overview of a label at Both sides Now. They have listings for all kinds of Mercury eras and subsidiary labels, but oddly enough, nothing about Emarcy?

http://www.bsnpubs.com/discogl-r.html

I always think of "Emarcy" as "Bob Shad", but yes, Jack Tracey took over, although a lot of jazz came on on Mercury itself, iirc.

Mercury was a pretty big label, really, strong pop, jazz, classical, subsidy labels, merged with Phillips, and for the better part of two decades.

Here's a site that thoroughly covers Mercury, including MRC: https://www.jazzdisco.org/mercury-records/

[Big Beat Steve]

As for Mercury itself and its jazz releases, don't overlook their WING subsidiary totally. (Yes this usually was a "budget" label where previous Mercury releases were given a second lease of life but one that allowed many artists to gain wider exposure)

 

15 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I have accumulated an awful lot of LPs over the decades on the EmArcy label.  

I realized today that I know almost nothing about the label, except that it was a jazz label and a subsidiary of Mercury Records.

BTW, have you checked out the sublinks leading to the EmArcy series on this site?

https://microgroove.jp/mercury/

 

Edited October 18, 2017 by Big Beat Steve

[felser]

Home to Sarah Vaughan's greatest recordings.  

[gmonahan]

11 hours ago, GA Russell said:

TTK, I once read (perhaps in Miles' approved biography) that he urged Cannonball to sign with a label that took jazz seriously, like Blue Note; and was disappointed when Cannon signed with Mercury.

Definitely some nice music on this one:

[JSngry]

Here's what Cannonball himself had to say about it (and lots of other things!): https://www.cannonball-adderley.com/article/panorama.htm

originally in Jazz Review, iirc.

[Teasing the Korean]

11 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

BTW, have you checked out the sublinks leading to the EmArcy series on this site?

https://microgroove.jp/mercury/

Thanks, I did not know about that site. 

I do have some Wing reissues. Most are straight reissues, but some appear to be Pickwick-like grab bag collections.  I could be mis-remembering.

[gmonahan]

22 hours ago, JSngry said:

Here's what Cannonball himself had to say about it (and lots of other things!): https://www.cannonball-adderley.com/article/panorama.htm

originally in Jazz Review, iirc.

Interesting piece. Thanks for posting it!

 

 

gregmo

[Pim]

I don’t know very much about the Emarcy label but Clifford Brown’s recordings are legendary of course. Also, my favorite recordings by Chet Baker are on Emarcy. His sessions ‘In Paris’ are so incredibly beautiful and I enjoy those more than much of his more popular recordings. The boxed set to me has too much alternates, false starts etc. so I bought the 4 volumes on cd instead. And that is some beautiful music!

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

apparently the helen merrill is like a $1000 record now, seems like thats one i should of seen somewhere

[GA Russell]

The only Wing I have is the first Spencer Davis album.  It's a British pressing.

[sidewinder]

1 hour ago, GA Russell said:

The only Wing I have is the first Spencer Davis album.  It's a British pressing.

The British Wing issues tend to be cheapo version of Fontanas. Probably for sale in Woolworths along with MFPs back in the day !

[GA Russell]

Yes, that was my impression of that one album.

I had a Manfred Mann Fontana album called What a Mann that was not on Wing, but I think was another discount label.

[JSngry]

15 hours ago, chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez said:

apparently the helen merrill is like a $1000 record now, seems like thats one i should of seen somewhere

Which one?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

[Teasing the Korean]

7 hours ago, chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez said:

I have passed up copies of this for far, far less than $1,000.  Live and learn...

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

dog i know, i swear ive seen it too!