Savant Records

[Big Al]

In the Melvin Sparks thread, a lot of the recommendations of recent records seem to be on Savant Records (a division of Highnote?). I checked their website, and found a lot of the recent greeeeaze (Sparks, Charles Earland, Reuben Wilson, etc) is being released by Savant. I have nothing released by these artists on this label, so what do y'all think? It seems like a throwback to the late-60's era Prestige when organ-jazz dominated their roster and releases.

[Jim Alfredson]

AHEM...

Bill Heid - Bop Rascal

Bill Heid - Dark Secrets

Bill Heid - Wet Streets

[JSngry]

They had some good Arthur Blythe stuff too.

[Jim Alfredson]

Oh yeah... For those of you who say to themselves, "Man, I wish Larry Young would've made more records like Unity..."

Bill Heid - Da Girl

Track 1 - Soldiering On (click to listen)

[kh1958]

Savant is the sister label to High Note.

They are actually more like the successor to the Muse label.

In addition to excellent recordings by Charles Earland and Melvin Sparks, I like all of their David Fathead Newman recordings, also I have a really good James Spaudling record on the label (The Smile of the Serpent), and two really terrific Carlos Garnett recordings.

There are quite a few others I would like to hear. These are two of my favorite current independent jazz labels.

[Chuck Nessa]

Savant is the sister label to High Note.

They are actually more like the successor to the Muse label.

In addition to excellent recordings by Charles Earland and Melvin Sparks, I like all of their David Fathead Newman recordings, also I have a really good James Spaudling record on the label (The Smile of the Serpent), and two really terrific Carlos Garnett recordings.

There are quite a few others I would like to hear. These are two of my favorite current independent jazz labels.

Savant/High Note is successor to Muse which was a successor to Cobblestone. All were operated by Joe Fields, former sales manager for Prestige. I first met Joe in the '60s when he arrived in Chicago by bus to flog Prestige. The "Prestige model" (low bread, minimal studio time, cheap manufacturing and good profits) was his guide. Joe told me this back in the early '70s when he wanted to license my stuff and me to produce some sessions.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Savant is the sister label to High Note.

They are actually more like the successor to the Muse label.

In addition to excellent recordings by Charles Earland and Melvin Sparks, I like all of their David Fathead Newman recordings, also I have a really good James Spaudling record on the label (The Smile of the Serpent), and two really terrific Carlos Garnett recordings.

There are quite a few others I would like to hear. These are two of my favorite current independent jazz labels.

Savant/High Note is successor to Muse which was a successor to Cobblestone. All were operated by Joe Fields, former sales manager for Prestige. I first met Joe in the '60s when he arrived in Chicago by bus to flog Prestige. The "Prestige model" (low bread, minimal studio time, cheap manufacturing and good profits) was his guide. Joe told me this back in the early '70s when he wanted to license my stuff and me to produce some sessions.

Thanks Chuck - I always wondered what job Joe had done at Prestige. Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

[Chuck Nessa]

Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance.

[Dan Gould]

Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance.

Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance.

Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention.

Not meant to be a "dis" of Chuck, for whom I have unbounded respect, but he's never been much of a one for Soul Jazz. (And I guess he pays musicians a bit better than Joe, as well.)

MG

[Dan Gould]

Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance.

Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention.

Not meant to be a "dis" of Chuck, for whom I have unbounded respect, but he's never been much of a one for Soul Jazz. (And I guess he pays musicians a bit better than Joe, as well.)

MG

I don't think that recording soul jazz gets you "back to zero in my world", and I doubt its his business model either: artists know what the deal is when they sign on. My guess is that there have been business acts that Chuck finds objectionable, but I doubt we'll hear about them.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Joe is definitely my hero for all the stuff he has brought out since the early '70s. After Prestige and Blue Note, Joe's labels are the most important in my collection.

(Don't y'all forget Fedora, his blues label, which has some very good stuff on it.)

MG

Yes, he's responsible for a bunch of good stuff (and a bunch of crap), but he's got enough negatives on his side to set him back to "zero" in my world. Not meant to be a "dis" of Joe, just a corrective message from an old acquaintance.

Well there's a comment that cries out for clarification/extention.

Not meant to be a "dis" of Chuck, for whom I have unbounded respect, but he's never been much of a one for Soul Jazz. (And I guess he pays musicians a bit better than Joe, as well.)

MG

My guess is that there have been business acts that Chuck finds objectionable, but I doubt we'll hear about them.

Quite right, too, if that's the problem.

MG

[Guest akanalog]

he should work harder to get muse stuff back in print.

would a mosaic of lester bowie's muse output be an interesting idea?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

he should work harder to get muse stuff back in print.

would a mosaic of lester bowie's muse output be an interesting idea?

The trouble is, Joe flogged Muse to Joel Dorn, who was putting some of it out (often in crummy compilations) on 32 Jazz; then that firm went bust and the whole shooting match went to Nippon Columbia's US subsidiary Savoy Jazz, which is just sitting on it.

MG

Edited May 14, 2006 by The Magnificent Goldberg

[Chuck Nessa]

I don't think that recording soul jazz gets you "back to zero in my world", and I doubt its his business model either: artists know what the deal is when they sign on. My guess is that there have been business acts that Chuck finds objectionable, but I doubt we'll hear about them.

Correct Dan. I should have kept my mouth shut.