I was having a discussion with a friend who is also a jazz fan. The debate went into this question. What percent of jazz recordings have been lost to the ages? There probably isn't a exact number anyone could give, but so many labels are long gone and their catalogs as well. Looking at musician’s discographies on AMG and other hard copy resources, I would venture to say a good 40%. It’s a real tragedy. Some of these defunct labels have been snatched up by the large companies such as Warner Brothers and Sony, but I doubt what they’ve acquired will ever see the light of day.
Would you say 40% is too high or too low a number?