XANADU Records

[Leeway]

I've picked up a number of Xanadu LPs recently, which got me curious about the history of the label. I know that Don Schlitten founded and operated it, although don't know much more than that.

I found an online Xanadu discography (to which our own Chck Nessa contributed):

Xanadu Discography

Looks like there are a lot of good albums that went away with the label. How much of this was picked up on other labels? Or is currently available?

Also, are there any particularly strong dates in the Xanadu catalog worth dearching out?

[Dan Gould]

I think some Xanadu dates made it to emusic, transferred from previously unplayed vinyl.

[Brad]

I have a few Xanadu cds and can reccomend them all:

Bud in Paris

Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron - really good

International Jam Sessions

Barry Harris - Live in Tokyo

Al Cohn and Dexter Gordon - True Blue - a truly outstanding disc

I have all the Bebop Revisited and they're all fantastic. I don't think they've been reissued on lp (a pity)

Great label.

[etherbored]

i would love to have barry harris plays barry harris...

-e-

[jazzydaddy]

In addition to the ones already mentioned I would say the Teddy Edwards (The Inimitable Teddy Edwards), Sonny Criss (Saturday Morning), Kenny Drew (For Sure; a quintet w/ Charles McPherson & Sam Noto) and all of the ones by Charles McPherson are well worth getting.

Xanadu did a nice job. It's a shame most of their releases have not been

reissued on CD.

Don

[brownie]

Wasn't the Onyx label a predecessor of Xanadu?

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/onyx.htm

Onyx reissued had-to-find albums. The album covers layout for the Onyx and Xanadu labels was very similar.

A shame that the material that Xanadu reissued from the Jerry Newman archives (Trumpet Battle at Minton's, Harlem Odyssey, Sweets, Lips & Lots of Jazz, Roy Eldridge at Jerry Newman's) is unavailable by now.

[Brad]

Xanadu did a nice job. It's a shame most of their releases have not been

reissued on CD.

Don

Some of them have by a company called Prevue.

[jazzydaddy]

Xanadu did a nice job.  It's a shame most of their releases have not been

reissued on CD.

  Don

Some of them have by a company called Prevue.

Yes Brad, I have maybe a half dozen of them including

Jimmy Heath's "A Picture of Heath" (Nice album!) and

Dolo Coker's "Dolo!". The latter is a gem; quintet date

with Harold Land and Blue Mitchell; you can't beat that combination!!!!!

It's unfortunate that Prevue stopped after releasing only a dozen or so

albums from the Xanadu catalog. Probably went belly up like all too many

who try to mix jazz with profits.

If my memory serves me right (I'm at my day job now)

Xanadu was the product of Don Schlitten who I believe

also produced some fine albums on the Muse label.

Don

[cliffpeterson]

epm reissued xanadu titles other than those issued by prevue. you can generally find the prevue cd reissues on ebay for a fair price. the tal farlow dates from a private recording have been reissued as one of those definitive label releases under a title like "the complete tal farlow private recordings."

[jazzydaddy]

epm reissued xanadu titles other than those issued by prevue.  you can generally find the prevue cd reissues on ebay for a fair price.  the tal farlow dates from a private recording have been reissued as one of those definitive label releases under a title like "the complete tal farlow private recordings."

Hi Cliff, thanks for the info.

Do you know of any original 1970's Xanadu releases that

were reissued by EPM or where their releases limited to

the older items that Xanadu had reissued on their label?

Thanks,

Don

[mikeweil]

Wasn't the Onyx label a predecessor of Xanadu?

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/onyx.htm

Onyx reissued had-to-find albums. The album covers layout for the Onyx and Xanadu labels was very similar.

A shame that the material that Xanadu reissued from the Jerry Newman archives (Trumpet Battle at Minton's, Harlem Odyssey, Sweets, Lips & Lots of Jazz, Roy Eldridge at Jerry Newman's) is unavailable by now.

Both labels were founded by Don Schlitten, IIRC. He originally ran Onyx during his time with Muse as a reissue label for historical material, but AFAIR there were some legal issues about the material - that is why most of the ONYX material remains OOP. (I may be wrong about the details ...) Xanadu was Schlitten's next label after his departure from Muse, the Silver series was the new recordings, the Gold series continued the Onyx series.

Some of it was on CD in France through EPM, some in Japan.

Unfortunately I have pretty few Xanadu LPs, and only one CD (the Jimmy Rowles). I regret I never got the Barry Harris albums, especially the one where he plays only Dameron tunes.

[brownie]

Thanks Mike. I happen to be listening to Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron right now. Next will probably be Barry Harris Plays Barry Harris. Beautiful albums.

Glad I bought many of those Xanadus when they came out. Which also enabled me to avoid those French CD reissues. Hate their cover design!

[Brad]

I just realized that I have the Dolo Coker Cd and that is an outstanding cd. That along with the Barry Harris cds and True Blue are probably the best although the Jimmy Raney Sonny Clark Cd, Together, is pretty fantastic.

[Chuck Nessa]

Onyx was a "murky" partnership between Schlitten and Joe Fields. Don also produced new sessions for Muse and the labels were marketed in tandem. After Joe and Don "divorced" the Onyx tapes and some unissued Muse sessions were tied up in a prolonged legal squabble. This was sorted out a few years back and Don put out an unissued Terry Gibbs lp before he stopped operations. Joe has issued some on the Onyx material on High Note.

My favorite sessions on Xanadu are the Al Cohn, Jimmy Raney and Sonny Criss dates.

[Leeway]

In addition to the ones already mentioned I would say the Teddy Edwards (The Inimitable Teddy Edwards), Sonny Criss (Saturday Morning), Kenny Drew (For Sure; a quintet w/ Charles McPherson & Sam Noto) and all of the ones by Charles McPherson are well worth getting.

Xanadu did a nice job. It's a shame most of their releases have not been

reissued on CD.

Don

It was McPherson's "Free Bop!" which I just picked up that got me to start this thread.

[mikeweil]

Onyx was a "murky" partnership between Schlitten and Joe Fields. Don also produced new sessions for Muse and the labels were marketed in tandem. After Joe and Don "divorced" the Onyx tapes and some unissued Muse sessions were tied up in a prolonged legal squabble. This was sorted out a few years back and Don put out an unissued Terry Gibbs lp before he stopped operations. Joe has issued some on the Onyx material on High Note.

Thanks for writing that up once more, Chuck.

Do you remember which label the Terry Gibbs was on?

I have that Sonny Criss - it is a very moving album!

[Bill Fenohr]

Mike,

If the Gibbs album was the one titled Bopstacle Course, it was on Xanadu, #210, with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Alan Dawson. It was recorded in July 1974.

[robviti]

Mike,

If the Gibbs album was the one titled Bopstacle Course, it was on Xanadu, #210, with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Alan Dawson. It was recorded in July 1974.

i have this on cd. it's excellent.

Edited December 14, 2004 by jazzshrink

[mikeweil]

Mike,

If the Gibbs album was the one titled Bopstacle Course, it was on Xanadu, #210, with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Alan Dawson. It was recorded in July 1974.

A rare bird - never heard of this. Sounds good, with such a first-class rhythm section.

[Chuck Nessa]

Don produced the Gibbs for Muse but it was not issued by them. Don got the tapes as part of the split.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

My Favorite Xanadu dates are Billy Mitchell's "Colossus of Detriot" and "De Lawd's Blues" and Ronnie Cuber's 2 dates... although I do dig Sonny Criss's "Saturday Morning" and Jimmy Heath's "Picture of Heath". Hmm... and there's the Joe Farrell's "Skate Board Park". Actually that Dolo Coker date is pretty damn good too.

The Xanadu LPs I've been looking for are the live from Montreux dates they put out. They were listed at http://www.jazzatharbor.com for a while but that website seems to have gone belly up.

Later,

Kevin

[pryan]

Is that Paul Chambers/Hampton Hawes album available on CD?

[Brad]

I just picked up, coincidentally, the Al Cohn Barry Harris cd so looking forward to that.

[mikeweil]

Is that Paul Chambers/Hampton Hawes album available on CD?

Hampton Hawes is not heard on that record, it's Paul Moer. It was a session recorded for VeeJay on the occasion of a Miles Davis Quintet visit to California, to feature Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones along with some West Coasters: Bill Perkins, Jack Montrose, and Paul Moer - Montrose and John Graas wrote the arrangements. Two tunes were recorded with Mel Lewis on drums as Philly Joe did not show up on the first day of recording. Don Schlitten somehow got hold of the tapes and released 7 of the 9 tracks with incorrect personnel and tune titles on that Xanadu LP.

The session was first issued completely with correct personnel and track titles on a British Affinity LP AFF 56 in 1980. IIRC there was a Charly CD of this, or on some Spanish label.

[mikeweil]

Here 'tis:

Westlake Bounce - The Music Of John Graas

Philly Jo Jones & Paul Chambers Meet the West Coasters

Featuring: John Graas (frh), Jack Montrose (ts), Bill Perkins (ts, bars), Paul Moer (p), Paul Chambers (b), Philly Joe Jones (d)

REFERENCE: FSRCD 508

PRICE:  9.80 €

John Graas, one of the first jazz French horn soloists and an excellent composer who sought to combine together jazz and classical music, recorded fairly regularly as a leader during 1953-1958. The opening three tracks originally formed part of the second "Jazz Lab" album recorded under John's name. Having Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones in the studio gave the band an extra frisson in it's interpretation.

At this point the planned session ended but Fresh Sound have now been able to include a previously un-issued track, a duet version of "I'm confessin'that I love you" played by the two members of the Miles Davis Quintet.

The following two days were given over to the recording of an album under Paul Chambers' leadership. This was essentially the same group minus Graas. But he made his presence felt by contributing distinctive compositions and arrangements.

Tracklisting:

1. Cluster (Graas) 6:07

2. Mood (Graas) 3:20

3. Canon-Friar (Graas) 5:30

4. I’m Confessin’ (Neighburg-Daugherty-Reynolds) 5:08

5. Westlake Bounce (Graas) 5:57

6. Mulliganesque (Graas) 6:10

7. Motif (Graas) 3:54

8. My Buddy (Donaldson) 2:31

9. Canon Ball (Graas) 5:21

10. Mood (Graas) 2:23

11. There Will Never Be Another You (Warren-Gordon)

12. The Song Is Ended (Berlin)

13. Neat Foot (Moer)

Recorded Hollywood, January 21, 22 and 23, 1957