Starbucks to sell Concord/Fantasy sampler

[GA Russell]

I received this press release today. Starbucks will sell a Concord/Fantasy sampler. I assume that means that they will be playing the CD in all of their coffee shops.

XM Satellite Radio is in on the action, promoting their jazz channels.

No word on the price. Due out June 27. Maybe it will introduce a few people to some OJCs!

Beverly Hills, Ca. and Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006 – XM Satellite Radio, the nation’s leading satellite radio service with more than 6.5 million subscribers, and Concord Music Group, one of the world’s largest independent record labels, today announced the release of Blistering Licks – Red Hot Riffs From the Giants of Jazz. The CD is the first in a series of co-branded compilations created with the best music from Concord’s historically rich catalog and designed to reflect specific XM channels and original XM music shows. The record will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada beginning June 27th, 2006.

Blistering Licks – Red Hot Riffs From the Giants of Jazz features the true masters of instrumental jazz from the past 50 years, playing exhilarating, accelerating pieces. All the tracks, carefully selected for their sheer energy and virtuosity from classic Milestone, Prestige, Riverside and Contemporary sessions, as well as from more recent outings on the Concord Jazz, Pablo and Heads Up labels, can be heard on XM’s flagship Jazz channel, Real Jazz (XM 70) or the popular Beyond Jazz (XM 72), two of the five commercial-free jazz and blues channels offered by XM. “You don’t have to be a jazz fan to be amazed by the incredible, jaw-dropping virtuosity of these jazz greats,”said compilation producer and Concord VP of Jazz and Catalog A&R, Nick Phillips. “These guys burn from the first note to the last.”

The intensity of the CD is palpable, with pieces by extroverted jammers Johnny Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis alongside masterful pianists Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum, who display their stunning skills in strictly up-tempo mode. Tenor titans Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane provide plenty of sparks, as do jazz guitar immortal Wes Montgomery and trumpet idol Miles Davis. The late tenor saxophonist Bob Berg, trumpeter Randy Brecker, Hammond B-3 killer Joey DeFrancesco, drummer Dennis Chambers, and Django-inspired guitar marvel Frank Vignola also add scintillating solos to this audacious mix. Along with some of the notable bandleaders in jazz history, Blistering Licks features a supporting cast that is bar none, including solos by Red Garland, Max Roach, Tommy Flanagan, Barney Kessel, and Shelly Manne.

“This new compilation reflects the XM music experience, which is all about discovery and exploration of different genres,” said Lee Abrams, XM’s Chief Creative Officer of Programming. “The quality, intensity and musicianship of the performances in this collection is overwhelming and represents just a small sampling of what both the Jazz universe and the XM musical landscape have to offer.”

The track listing for Blistering Licks – Red-Hot Riffs from the Giants of Jazz follows:

1. Sonny Rollins—It’s All Right with Me (From Worktime on Prestige)

2. Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry— Shaw ’Nuff (From Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry on Pablo)

3. Wes Montgomery—Airegin (From The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery on Riverside)

4. Johnny Griffin/Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis—Tickle Toe (From Tough Tenors on Jazzland)

5. Miles Davis Quintet—Salt Peanuts (From Steamin’ on Prestige)

6. Hampton Hawes—Up Blues (From the album Four! on Contemporary)

7. Bob Berg/Randy Brecker/Joey DeFrancesco/Dennis Chambers—Oleo (From JazzTimes Superband on Concord Jazz)

8. Jaco Pastorius Big Band—Kuru/Speak Like A Child (From The Word Is Out on Heads Up)

9. John Coltrane—Russian Lullaby (From Soultrane on Prestige)

10. Bill Evans—Woody’n You (From On Green Dolphin Street on Milestone)

11. Art Tatum with Roy Eldridge—This Can’t Be Love (From The Tatum Group Masterpieces, vol. 2 on Pablo)

12. Frank Vignola—Appel Direct (From Appel Direct on Concord)

[Chuck Nessa]

Can't wait for that sucker.

[JSngry]

12 cuts, and 9 of them from the recently accquired Fantasy labels.

Ah, the legacy of Carl Jefferson...

[Rooster_Ties]

I just don't see jazz samplers being sold in coffee shops as much of a way to develop customers for "real" jazz CD's.. Maybe 5% or 10% of the people who buy this sampler (or other similar jazz samplers that have been sold in Starbucks for a number of years) will go out and buy a one or two more full-length CD's by particular artist or two who they fancy.

But it seems to me like the vast majority of people who buy jazz samplers are -- well -- the kind of people who buy jazz samplers. They're mostly not gonna go out and buy even 10 jazz CD's a year.

But I guess they'll sell as many as they sell (several thousand probably, maybe more than 10,000??) -- and as long as they're making a buck or two on each one, then more power to them. I'm assuming these samplers are being sold cheap - like $10 a pop. No way they'd move very many if they charged $14 or $15 for 'em.

It would be interesting to learn how people who were at one time new to jazz (people who later became much more interested in jazz) -- how they first discovered the music. My guess is through stumbling on some live performance(s), or (perhaps more likely) from other people (friends, coworkers etc...) loaning them CD's.

Maybe samplers are part of the equation for developing significant new customers, but I can't imagine they're a very big part.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[RDK]

I think we're seriously overthinking this, guys. If it's jazz and if it sells... that's nothing but good, right?

[JSngry]

Why? So more and more people can grow up to want to hear (mostly) more and more of the same and think that that's what jazz "is"?

Tell you what - if Starbucks puts out a Pi Records sampler, then I'll let go of my cynicism.

Wait a sec - I see that Jaws is on one cut. Hell, that motherfucker's likely to scare the shit out of an already jittery Starbucks crowd. So score one for the good guys. If they live through him and Griff, maybe a Pi Records sampler would fly.

One can but only hope.

[Dave James]

While I'm sure this will cost them from a bottom line standpoint, you have to give them credit for staying away from a compiliation filled with nothing but laid back ballads. When I saw first saw this thread title, I'd have bet you a dollar to a donut that that's what this woud have been.

How much would you give to have been fly on the wall when they (whomever "they" is/are) were deciding what tunes would go on this disc?

Up over and out.

[JSngry]

Along with some of the notable bandleaders in jazz history, Blistering Licks features a supporting cast that is bar none, including....

Que significa?

[ep1str0phy]

While I'm sure this will cost them from a bottom line standpoint, you have to give them credit for staying away from a compiliation filled with nothing but laid back ballads.

Seriously--were any of us expecting all that much? Seconded notion, anyways--I'm surprised that they've included some of the harder cuts (a lot of burners, too). As per the all sold jazz is good jazz thing--I certainly can't eliminate my personal cynicism, if only because (despite the virtues of the music in-and-of-itself) it's difficult to dodge the notion that the Starbucks/Concord marketers are baking for the culture industry-and, whether consciously or not, such efforts often wind up reproducing a rather parochial concept of what this music is/was/can be. The plaudits are there for what they have done, but The Powers could've always gone a step further and put, I don't know, a Dolphy ballad somewhere in there. Would something a little more 'unusual' turn people off to the music--or, rather, a music? Etc., etc., etc.--as per JSngry's comments above, jazz is a lot more than this. Maybe the buyers will figure it out, maybe not.

On the other hand--I got into jazz through a borrowed Columbia Monk sampler and an impulse buy of The Shape of Jazz to Come. So I guess it is possible.

Edited June 15, 2006 by ep1str0phy

[Rooster_Ties]

Go back and re-read the press release in the first post of this thread.

Is it not the most overblown, hype-filled piece of drivel one could ever imagine??

All for a frickin' jazz sampler CD. Who writes press releases to annouce the release of a jazz sampler CD?? What the hell is newsworthy about that? It isn't worth spending 20 words talking about, let alone something like 150 (wild guess, I didn't count).

Instead, how's THIS for an idea...

If they really wanna move some "product" - AND really do some good at the same time -- they ought to sell "Kind Of Blue" CD's in every damn Starbucks in the entire country. Now THAT would be a way to sell some jazz, make some money, and motivate some real interest in jazz.

Or - let's see 'em market just 6 different full-length classic jazz albums (CD's) available through a small display by every cash register in every Starbucks across the land. KoB, obviously. One big band disc (an Ellington, maybe). One 60's boogaloo thing, probably on BN, so maybe "Sidewinder" or maybe "Song for my Father". One early 70's fusion thing - maybe "Headhunters". One jazz vocals album (maybe Ella?). And that leaves one more - maybe a be-bop date of some sort. The exact titles don't mater (well, they do, but not to my argument). Then maybe rotate 5 new titles in every 6 months (keeping KoB in the mix at all times, year-round, since so many people think of it as the "Citizen Kane" of jazz).

Now maybe THAT'S a way to sell some REAL jazz (by selling some really jazz ALBUMS), instead of selling a "pseudo-product" jazz "samplers" of the "culture industry".

Sell 'em all at $10 a pop (which should be doable, cuz I see new copies of KOB on sale ALL the damn time for $9.99 in all kinds of record stores).

I'm serious. THAT'S a way to motivate some REAL jazz sales (or at least it's a start). It'd be win/win for Starbucks too, I would imagine.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Chuck Nessa]

Rooster, it IS the SHOW BUSINESS.

That is the "new" Concord. It is simply their business model and if it works for them, fine. If it works for us, better. I just hope they don't expect all of us to swallow the crap.

[GA Russell]

12 cuts, and 9 of them from the recently accquired Fantasy labels.

Ah, the legacy of Carl Jefferson...

I would have preferred it to be all OJCs.

But I guess they'll sell as many as they sell (several thousand probably, maybe more than 10,000??) -- and as long as they're making a buck or two on each one, then more power to them. I'm assuming these samplers are being sold cheap - like $10 a pop. No way they'd move very many if they charged $14 or $15 for 'em.

...

Maybe samplers are part of the equation for developing significant new customers, but I can't imagine they're a very big part.

I like samplers and compilations, but as a matter of priniciple I won't spend more than ten bucks for one. I think full retail price should be reserved for the "real" albums, not the samplers.

But I'm not at all sure that the Starbucks customer is of the same mindset. Those people spend four dollars for a cup of coffee. If they like the music, maybe they don't care what the price is.

Regarding developing new customers, it appears that the execs at Concord are committed to samplers and compilations as a business model. That has been most of the jazz they have put out in the past year. So long as they keep the OJCs in print, it's OK with me, although like everyone else here I would like to see more new OJCs issued.

I think we're seriously overthinking this, guys. If it's jazz and if it sells... that's nothing but good, right?

I agree, Ray. I'm delighted by the prospect that customers of Starbucks will be listening to OJC music while enjoying their coffee. I read an article in the paper about Starbucks just the other day. As I recall, it said that there are 2500 Starbucks in the US alone. That's a lot of people listening to OJCs.

While I'm sure this will cost them from a bottom line standpoint, you have to give them credit for staying away from a compiliation filled with nothing but laid back ballads. When I saw first saw this thread title, I'd have bet you a dollar to a donut that that's what this woud have been.

I wasn't thinking about ballads, Dave, but I sure expected music more relaxed than Coltrane's Russian Lullaby. I'm not sure that most people are going to want to listen to that as they converse over coffee.

I just hope they don't expect all of us to swallow the crap.

I don't know what you're talking about Chuck. I sure as heck don't consider an hour of OJCs to be crap.

[jazzbo]

I think that Chuck was speaking of the sales pitch hype in the announcement. . . . And/or the "plan."

[LarryCurleyMoe]

Go back and re-read the press release in the first post of this thread.

If they really wanna move some "product" - AND really do some good at the same time -- they ought to sell "Kind Of Blue" CD's in every damn Starbucks in the entire country. Now THAT would be a way to sell some jazz, make some money, and motivate some real interest in jazz.

Kinda Blue or some CD's by ORGANISSIMO!