Chas Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 (edited) Does anyone have a discography for the Roost subsidiary Legende ? I know of only one title : Johnny Richards ---Annotations of the Muses Legende LP-1401 ( 10") 1955 . In June 1955 Birdland owner Morris Levy bought a 50% interest in Roost Records . The terms of the deal called for the name of the label to be changed to " Birdland Records " . In August of 1955 an ad in Metronome announced , " Birdland Records , formerly known as Roost , presents Johnny Smith Plays Jimmy Van Heusen on Birdland LP 2201 " ( the same catalog number as the Roost issue ) . The address given was the same Tenth Avenue one used by Roost . Now , Morris Levy was involved with Roulette Records from its inception in 1957 , and he did buy the Roost catalog in 1958 , and was responsible for the ' Birdland Series ' on Roulette , but to my knowledge there were no Birdland records released between 1955 and 1957 ; to borrow Roost's slogan of the time , Birdland records were , " music of the future "...literally . Given what is known about Morris " Godfather " Levy , one wonders whether Birdland Records was simply a vehicle for tax-fraud or money-laundering . After all , Levy , who at one time ran Topsy's Chicken Roost , The Cock Lounge and Birdland , only avoided becoming a jailbird by leaving the country ( flying the coop ) and dying ! Does anyone have more information about Birdland Records ? Finally , and tangentially , does anyone know the history of the Birdland nightclub that Levy and his " partners " , opened in Miami Beach in 1954 ? Edited April 7, 2006 by Chas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 In 1950 a Getz session was issued on Birdland 6001 and 6002. IRRC this was a Bob Weinstock partnership with Levy. The session is now recognized as a Prestige session. The next Birdland session I'm aware of was a Lockjaw date also now Prestige. I suggest contacting Bob Porter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted October 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 ...but to my knowledge there were no Birdland records released between 1955 and 1957 Well it turns out there was at least one such record released , this 10-incher , which was probably issued right after Bird died in '55 : In 1950 a Getz session was issued on Birdland 6001 and 6002. IRRC this was a Bob Weinstock partnership with Levy. The session is now recognized as a Prestige session. Birdland 6001 ( a 10" 78 rpm ) used this label : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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