Giddins

[montg]

Giddins writes about the reissue bidness in the April Jazztimes. I don't think it's available online but I thought I'd type out a small section of the article that I found particularly interesting:

In a recent meeting with two Sony executives, both subsequently laidoff, I was told that they could not justify re-releasing unavailable Louis Armstrong, let alone King Oliver...because it is all public domain (in Europe)....This made no sense (domestic product can be cheaper, better designed, more comprehensive, more easily distributed), until the subtext of the conversation rose to the surface: The new company is interested in making movies and has basically lost interest in music.

I guess it's Mosaic or bust with respect to the sony/bmg catalog. Also, I wonder about the validity of Giddins' presumption that the domestic product really doesn't face much competition from the European reissues of public domain material.

[jazzbo]

It's so saddening. Understandable from a business standpoint in this "cruel world". . . but saddening.

We need to keep supporting Mosaic! If they can make good with these items, then maybe the majors will see a way.

[montg]

txxx for head's up Tiny-- i'm not a Giddins fan & his Voice work did NOT evince any particular awareness of how the reissue game was evolving... he got all his shit for free, understand, so if he ever wrote abt Frog, or Jazz Oracle, or the better Retrieval sets (he might have there, wrt to the "Lost Chords" antho; I'd have to check tho') etc etc... i missed it. (more than once, also, he'd write abt something being 'unavailable' when it was common import-- at Downtown Music Galllery, a five minute walk from his Voice office, or Tower, another two minutes.) even in intermittent penury, i've proudly purchased every Mosaic pre-war set, tho' i did have to trade a few on the black market for guns & goats... anyway, i'll browse this at newsstand, see if Gary did his work this time.

all said, fact remains it's a fucking shame these congloms came to "own" this stuff they had little interest in to begin with & now have none. that good things did get done is credit to the few individuals involved at any given time, not the corp ogres or the generally moronic regional sales people (as any retail vet will tell ye).

edc

the poor people's friend

You're welcome. tell everyone in brooklyn i said hello.