Decca's "Jazz Studio" Series

[Late]

Is anyone else excited about Universal Japan's December reissue of the entire Decca Jazz Studio series? I've heard only bits and pieces from different sessions, but know I'll likely be picking up all six of the "Jazz Studio" sessions.

Can anyone point out a discographical listing for this series? I did a number of Google searches, but only came up with a session or two. Here's Jazz Studio 3 (which features Gerry Mulligan):

... with a few sound samples.

[J.A.W.]

It's about time these were reissued.

Edited October 8, 2004 by J.A.W.

[Late]

... just realized/discovered that Fresh Sounds has already reissued the first four Jazz Studio albums on two discs. Anyone have these? The Jazz Lab series has also apparently been reissued by Fresh Sounds.

[medjuck]

... just realized/discovered that Fresh Sounds has already reissued the first four Jazz Studio albums on two discs. Anyone have these? The Jazz Lab series has also apparently been reissued by Fresh Sounds.

Where can these or the Japanese re-issues be found? I have a friend who's been looking for jazz Studio 2 for years. (It was the first Lp he ever bought. And it got warped when he left it on a window sill-- along with about 50 other records he's been replacing.

[Late]

For the Japanese versions (being reissued on December 22, 2004) with original cover art and in mini-LP facsimile:

www.earlyrecords.com

For the "Spanish" versions put out by Fresh Sounds, which don't have original cover art, and come in jewel cases:

www.freshsoundrecords.com

Edited October 8, 2004 by Late

[P.D.]

I've gone on about these for many a thread.

Especially Jazz Studio one.

This is a typical Jam Session type set

Joe Newman, Bennie Green,Pault Quinichette, Frank Foster, Hank Jones, Sir Johnathon Gasser ( Johnny Smith) Ed Jones, Kenny Clarke

Tenderley.

Let's Split

if you like the Buck Clayton sets you'll like these

They were recently released by Ocium as Let's Split

The tracks are short for a CD, they were one track per side of an LP

Ocium filled the CD out with two of Norman Granzs jams

The rest of the Jazz Studio series departed from the jam session format and were more in the style of west Coast Jazz "experimental Jazz

Jazz Studio 2

wasDon Fagerquist,Milt Bernhardt,John Graas,Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre,Marty Paich, Howaed Roberts, Curtis Counce, Larry Bunker

Laura

Here Come the Lions

Paicheck

Graas Point

Darn that Dream

Do it Again

All musicians do not solo on every track

Jazz Studio 3

Was a Graas led date, recorded with different combinations of the musicians involved

Don Fagerquist, Gerry Mulligan, Johnh Graas, Marty Paich, Howard Roberts, Red Mitchell, Larry Bunker

Mulliganesue

7/4 and Even

a Mulligan " quartet from above, plays

My Buddy

Conte Candoli, John Graas, Zoot Sims, Charlie Mariano, Andre Preven, Howard Roberts, Red Mitchell,Larry Bunker

Jazz selections from Symphony in F minor

Sonata Allegro

Scherzo

then Rogeresque

12th st Rag

without Zoot and Graas.

Jazz Studio 4

was the Jack Millman set

A set of different sessions featuring 24 different west coast / studio musicians in variuos group sizes.

Too much variety in group size etc. for my one finger typing

Milman was a trumpet player, composer.. I always feel that these sessions were funded by himself to promote his music and a bilities

I did a thread on AAJ called " You Don't Know Jack" and will try to get a link

These tracks were issued on a Fresh Sounds CD under Millman's name

Jazz Studio 5

Was the Ralph Burns showcase

Joe Newman, Jimmy Giuffre, Ralph Buffington ( fr hrn)Dave Schildkraut, Herbie Mann, Danny Bank, Ralph Burns,Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson, Bill Barber ( tuba)

Cool Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

What Am I Here For,

Jazz Club USA

I'll Be Around

Royal Garden Blues

Nocturne

South Gonsales St. Parade

Jazz Studio 6

was an usual one, it might not have been intended to be part of the series.. different artwork on the sleeve

it was the David Amram, George Barrow,Arthur Phipps,Al harewood quartet

This one I don't have, it's relatively rare. . I passed up a copy at a record show for $10.00.. the guy on the booth had left and I didnlt want to hang around, thinking I'd catch him next time around.. the album was really not that sought after..selling for $10.0 - $12 on Ebay... except it was featured in a recent Downbeat Vinyl Collector column and the most recent one on Ebay just sold for over $100

so much for the power of the press.

The music, other than that on "1" is definitely for those interested in the west coast school of thought.

It would be nice to have these in good CD issue, but generally the cost of Japanese issues ( plus I hate their LP style packaging) will probably not induce me to replace my CDr's at present.

No doubt Ocium will offer additions to their reissue program.

[P.D.]

The above would have been the second post.. slow typer

but I can't find them on the Fresh Sounds site.. I know of the Millman

How are the others listed.. under Jazz Studio, or a specific artists name.. the Burns doesn't show up under his listings.

Same goes for the Jazz Lab series

Anybody got a way of pulling these up on the Fresf Sounds site?

Edited October 8, 2004 by P.D.

[J.A.W.]

Jazz Studio One - Decca DL-8058

Recorded in NYC on October 10, 1953

Joe Newman - trumpet

Bennie Green - trombone

Frank Foster - tenor saxophone

Paul Quinichette - tenor saxophone

Hank Jones - piano

The guitarist seems to be unidentified, but according to Bruyninckx it could be either Freddie Green, Johnny Smith or John Collins

Eddie Jones - bass

Kenny Clarke - drums

Tenderly

Let's Split

Jazz Studio Two - Decca DL-8079

Recorded in Hollywood on June 4, 1954

Don Fagerquist - trumpet

Milt Bernhart - trombone

John Graas - French horn

Herb Geller - alto saxophone

Jimmy Giuffre - clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone

Marty Paich - piano

Howard Roberts - guitar

Curtis Counce - bass

Larry Bunker - drums

Laura

Here Come the Lions

Paycheck

Graas Point

Darn That Dream

Do It Again

Jazz Studio Three - Decca DL-8014

Recorded in LA on December 16, 1954

Don Fagerquist - trumpet

John Graas - French horn

Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone

Marty Paich - piano

Howard Roberts - guitar

Red Mitchell - bass

Larry Bunker - drums

Mulliganesque

6/4 and Even

John Graas - French horn

Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone

Red Mitchell - bass

Larry Bunker - drums

My Buddy

Conte Candoli - trumpet

John Graas - French horn

Charlie Mariano - alto saxophone

Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone

Jimmy Giuffre - baritone saxophone

André Previn - piano

Howard Roberts - guitar

Curtis Counce - bass

Larry Bunker - drums

Jazz sections from Symphony No.1 in F Minor (two takes) (it doesn't say who the composer is)

Charleston

Conte Candoli - trumpet

John Graas - French horn

Charlie Mariano - alto saxophone

André Previn - piano

Howard Roberts - guitar

Curtis Counce - bass

Larry Bunker - drums

Rogeresque

Twelfth Street Rag

Jazz Studio Four - Decca DL-8516

Recorded in Hollywood on May 18, 1955

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Maynard Ferguson (as Tiger Brown) - valve trombone

Buddy Collette - alto saxophone

Jack Montrose - tenor saxophone

Bob Gordon - baritone saxophone

Gerald Wiggins - piano

Curtis Counce - bass

Chico Hamilton - drums

Spud Murphy - arranger

Ballade for Jeanie

Maynard Ferguson (as Tiger Brown) - valve trombone

Buddy Collette - alto saxophone

Jack Montrose - tenor saxophone

Frank Flynn - vibraphone

Gerald Wiggins - piano

Curtis Counce - bass

Chico Hamilton - drums

Mike Pacheco - bongo

Artie Anton - conga

Fred Aguirre - timbales

Jack Millman - arranger

The Turk

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Buddy Collette - flute

Jack Montrose - tenor saxophone

Bob Gordon - baritone saxophone

Frank Flynn - vibraphone

Curtis Counce - bass

Chico Hamilton - drums

Mike Pacheco - bongo

Maynard Ferguson - claves

Artie Anton - conga

Johnny Mandell - arranger

Cathy Goes South

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Linn Halliday - tenor saxophone

Don Anderson - vibraphone

Russ Freeman (as Don Friedman) - piano

Ralph Peña - bass

Gary Frommer - drums

Bill Holman - arranger

So Goes My Love

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Linn Halliday - tenor saxophone

Don Anderson - vibraphone

Russ Freeman - piano

Don Overberg - guitar

Ralph Peña - bass

Gary Frommer - drums

Gerald Wiggins - arranger

Tom and Jerry

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Bob Enevoldsen - valve trombone

Herb Geller (as Bert Herbert) - alto saxophone

Jimmy Giuffre - tenor saxophone

Bob Gordon - baritone saxophone

Claude Williamson - piano

Howard Roberts - guitar

Red Mitchell - bass

Shelly Manne - drums

Jimmy Giuffre - arranger

Groove Juice

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Buddy Collette - flute

Bob Gordon - bass clarinet

Red Norvo (as Ken Kenney) - vibraphone

Claude Williamson - piano

Red Mitchell - bass

Shelly Manne - drums

Shorty Rogers - arranger

Pink Lady

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Buddy Collette - flute

Jimmy Giuffre - clarinet

Herb Geller - alto saxophone

Bob Gordon - baritone saxophone

Red Mitchell - bass

Shelly Manne - drums

Mike Pacheco - bongo

Jack Costanza - conga

Bob Enevoldsen - claves

Claude Williamson - gourd

Pete Rugolo - arranger

Bolero de Mendez

Jack Millman - fluegelhorn

Buddy Collette - flute

Jimmy Giuffre - tenor saxophone

Bob Gordon - baritone saxophone

Bob Enevoldsen - vibraphone

Red Norvo - vibraphone

Claude Williamson - piano

Red Mitchell - bass

Shelly Manne - drums

Frank Erickson - arranger

Just a Pretty Tune

Jazz Studio Five

Recorded in NYC on September 29 and October 6, 1955

Joe Newman - trumpet

Billy Byers - trombone

Jim Buffington - French horn

Dave Schildkraut - clarinet, alto saxophone

Herbie Mann - tenor saxophone, clarinet, piccolo

Danny Bank - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

Ralph Burns - piano, arranger

Milt Hinton - bass

Bill Barber - tuba

Osie Johnson - drums

9/29 Session:

Cool Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

What Am I Here For

Jazz Club U.S.A.

10/6 Session:

I'll Be Around

Royal Garden Blues

Nocturne

South Gonzales Street Parade

[P.D.]

The guitarist on '1" is definitely Johnny Smith..

[P.D.]

O.K. I just checked my email and there was one from Fresh Sounds.. New Issues.. The Jazz Labs are on Lonehill.. released this month.. I assume the Jazz Studios are too.. maybe that's in the second message, I thought they were duplicates...

according to the email all 6 of the Jazz Studio series are available on 3 separate CDs under John Graas' name.

Edited October 8, 2004 by P.D.

[brownie]

I have two JazzLabs (1 and 2) both by John Graas. Were there more?

The first one was very good, the Jazz Lab 2 was even better.

With 3 tracks featuring Graas with Bill Perkins and/or Jack Montrose plus a rhythm section of Paul Moer, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.

[mikeweil]

The LoneHill reissues now add up to six CDs each containing two LPs - they call that the John Graas Project.

Scroll down on their new releases page.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Bruyninckx CD-ROM identifies guitarist on Jazz Studio One as Johnny Smith, noting that Collins is incorrectly listed on a Coral reissue.

To avoid confusion, I recommend specifying which edition of Bruyninckx is being consulted. (50 YORJ, 60 YORJ, 70 YORJ, the miniature books = Modern Jazz, Progressive Jazz, Vocalists, etc.), or 85 YORJ aka CD-ROM).

Mike

[P.D.]

The LoneHill reissues now add up to six CDs each containing two LPs - they call that the John Graas Project.

Scroll down on their new releases page.

Yeah I saw that.. typical Lonehil "titling" The John Graas project I don't think he was responsible for, nor is he on all of the Jazz Studio dates.. though it's a bit more accurate than the complette Paul Desmond at the college ....... or whatever the Brubeck issue was called. Or the Coltrane one....

Still for all the crap they pull, you have to admit they are putting some very hard to find albums on the market at reasonable prices, also it seems at an extremely fast pace

[Late]

Both Jazz Lab sessions are now on this Lonehill reissue:

And there's also this one:

Anyone familiar with this latter recording?

[brownie]

Anyone familiar with this latter recording?

I have the Fresh Sounds LP reissue of that 'Jazzmantics' Decca album (which had a different and sexier cover). It's probably the best Graas album from that series. Very clever and effective arrangements plus plenty of short solos by people by the name of Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Red Callender on tuba, Conte Candoli and others.

The Fresh Sounds LP had one additional track 'Free And Easy' that was not on the original Decca LP and seems to have been left out of the Lonehill reissue!

[garthsj]

Garth ... returning from a self-imposed exile while trying to write ... this site tends to get me badly sidetracked at times!

Brownie and Late, you may remember some wishful thinking on our part back in May in another, detailed thread on the Jazz Studio Series. I am very pleased to see the series available once again. The Amram-Barrow album is very difficult to locate after that Downbeat feature. I have placed my order with Lonehill for the entire set ... I have been impressed with some of the previous Lonehill CDs that I have, most notably the Gerry Mulligan - Art Farmer Quartet, "Live in Rome" and the very welcome John Lewis "Orchestra U.S.A." album. The sound in both as excellent.

While John Graas was really not a very good jazz musician himself, his albums contain some of the best "west coast jazz" from this seminal period, and are always worth listening to.

Edited October 31, 2004 by garthsj

[brownie]

Garth, welcome back. Good to have you around!

About the John Grass Lonehills, they have been released here. Not sure I will buy these since I have the material on vinyl.

I must say I have been pretty impressed with a number of Lonehill releases. They really go for the obscure sessions (the Wes Montgomery, Ben Webster, Bobby Hutcherson, Jim Hall, MaryLou Williams, Hollywood AllStars, etc.) and the sound on most of them is excellent.

[Late]

Welcome back, Garth. Now we can bump threads up that discuss musicians with weird names like Phil Sunkel, Conrad Gozzo, Milt Bernhart, Jay Core, etc.

Actually, Bernhart used to post a lot on a West Coast bulletin board that was sponsored by Jim Harrod. Some great reading there.

[ejp626]

I took a gamble and grabbed the Jazz Studio and Jazz Lab CDs from Lonehill once Dusty Groove stocked them. I am favorably impressed. I particularly like the varied instrumentation on the Jazz Studio albums. It seems like there was quite a demand for jazz French horn players in the 1950s. Who knew? In addition to John Graas and Julius Watkins playing the field around this time, a third jazz French horn player shows up on Jazz Studio 4. But no cowbell!!

[Claude Schlouch]

Note that the Jazzmantics CD does not contain the title "Free and Easy" from the August 13, 1957 session. Ridiculous for a complete project!

[ghost of miles]

These look wonderful, Late! How much are they apiece through Early Records?

[Late]

These look wonderful, Late! How much are they apiece through Early Records?

They'll be 2345¥, which today is approximately $22.19 U.S. ($26.63 Canadaian) or 17.19 Euros. Here are the Japanese catalog numbers:

UCCC 9097 V.A./Jazz Studio 1 2345¥

UCCC 9098 V.A./Jazz Studio 2 2345¥

UCCC 9099 V.A./Jazz Studio 3 2345¥

UCCC 9100 V.A./Jazz Studio 4 2345¥

UCCC 9101 V.A./Jazz Studio 5 2345¥

UCCC 9102 V.A./Jazz Studio 6 2345¥

All six Japanese pressings would be over $133 U.S. + shipping. For that fact alone, I'd probably go the Fresh Sounds route, where you can pick up all six sessions on 3 discs for around $36 + shipping. The savings would allow you to pick up the Jazz Lab Vols. 1&2 disc, the Jazzmantics disc, and Graas's International Premiere in Jazz disc, which Fresh Sounds is listing as Jack Sheldon's "Complete Goes to College."

This search should cover all six Lonehill/Fresh Sounds discs.

[garthsj]

Thanks for the welcome back ... it is nice to have some time to spend on here ... but it only costs me money!

As a matter of interest, it cost me $87.46, including shipping, to buy all six albums of the "John Graas Project" from Fresh Sounds directly from Spain, or Andorra, or Lichtenstein, or wherever they are now shpping from. This is a little more expensive than getting them from THE BASTARDS, but Dusty Groove were out of stock, and my impression has been that when Fresh Sounds material goes out of stock in U.S. record shops it seldom comes back. For instance, CDUniverse just today cancelled my three month-old order for the Claude Thornhill Trend label album. I will now order it elsewhere.

A recent glance at the latest Lonehill releases raises all sorts of questions, and some salivation. However, the way they piece albums together to create phoney "Complete Of ....." sets annoys me. But they are obviously deep into releasing the 1954 (and even later) recordings, and they are now "attacking" Norgran/Clef/Verve material .... I don't have to emphasize just how deep that vein of jazz gold goes .... hmmmmmmm ... I wonder if Norman Granz is turning in his grave?

Bill Evans and the "GUS WILDI" SESSIONS????? What the heck ....?

[Late]

Bill Evans and the "GUS WILDI" SESSIONS? What the heck ....?

Yeah, with Shelly Manne and Eddie Gomez air-brushed out of the picture. Weird.

Don't forget about The Complete John Coltrane Accordion Recordings, either. Or, Count Basie's The Musical Saw Project as well.