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Strata East


Noj

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Hell, all of the Tolliver's on Strata East are essential.

( But then y'all knew I was gonna say that in this thread eventually. Hey - I held out as long as I could!! ;) )

Good thread, cuz other than the 4 Tollivers, "Glass Bead Games", and "Capra Black" (Billy Harper) --- I don't have any other Strata East titles.

Here's a LINK to a listing of the entire Strata East catalog, to further the discussion.

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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I've got around a dozen or so Strata East vinyls. They are still in the collection so I must like 'em all. Best of the bunch "Rhythm X" by Charles Brackeen with Cherry, Haden and Blackwell. "Capra Black" is a classic. Harold Vick's "Don't Look Back" is a tad disappointing. I'd have to play some of the others again to comment but I can recall some nice playing on the Sonny Fortune, Charles Sullivan, the Composers Workshop Ensemble and Joe Gordon discs despite the trendy (for the time) tinkly percussion that crops up here and there.

Sorry guys I didn't keep any of the Tollivers.

Interesting label. I wish I'd kept a few more but one or two that came my way were pretty awful.

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... there is another Clifford Jordan with Kenny Dorham on some tracks and Don Cherry on the others that is nice...

You are referring to Clifford Jordan's excellent "In the World".

I also dig Charles Brackeen's very Ornette-ish "Rhythm X".

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I was just gonna mention Brackeen's RHYTHM X, SEK beat me to it.

All the Tollivers

CAPRA BLACK

Anyone have/heard Cecil McBee's entry (I think there's only one)? I've been intrigued, but not enough to take the plunge yet.

Edited by DrJ
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Strata-East, owned by Tolliver and Cowell (Stanley was a semi-silent partner), was a vanity label. You could release a record if you had the money to deliver finished tapes and artwork (and if Charles approved). Musicians usually used the studio and graphic artists used by Tolliver, but it was not necessary as far as I know.

Clifford Jordan had a side deal to deliver his dates and others he produced (Sanders, Brackeen, Payne, etc).

Lots of unhappy guys around the edges and the product suffered from indifferent production qualities, sound, distribution and finances. From what I've heard, lots of musicians were looking for money that never materialized and gave up. Tolliver was always painted as the bad guy, and Cowell came out relatively clean.

In the mid '70s Clifford Jordan tried to make a deal with me to escape Strata-East. I could not afford it, so..........

I am completely mystified by the reputation this label has on this board.

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The sound quality IS poor, and everything else you say is also true I'm sure, Chuck, but it's 30+ years down the road now and the label did yield a few classics, stuff that surpasses so much that came before, at the time, or since. If there were other options, how come nobody else recorded these guys as leaders?

Edited by DrJ
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Strata East albums (LPs all) I enjoyed:

Cecil Payne 'Zodiac' with Kenny Dorham,

Clifford Jordan 'In the World'.

Charles Bracken 'Rhythm X' with Don Cherry,

Charles Sullivan 'Genesis', a forgotten trumpet player.

I've got some others but they don't get played much.

Also puzzled by the fascination for that label.

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Strata-East, owned by Tolliver and Cowell (Stanley was a semi-silent partner), was a vanity label. You could release a record if you had the money to deliver finished tapes and artwork (and if Charles approved). Musicians usually used the studio and graphic artists used by Tolliver, but it was not necessary as far as I know.

Clifford Jordan had a side deal to deliver his dates and others he produced (Sanders, Brackeen, Payne, etc).

Lots of unhappy guys around the edges and the product suffered from indifferent production qualities, sound, distribution and finances. From what I've heard, lots of musicians were looking for money that never materialized and gave up. Tolliver was always painted as the bad guy, and Cowell came out relatively clean.

In the mid '70s Clifford Jordan tried to make a deal with me to escape Strata-East. I could not afford it, so..........

I am completely mystified by the reputation this label has on this board.

Because a lot of good or great music is on the label despite the indifferent production qualities, sound, distribution and finances.

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Anyone have/heard Cecil McBee's entry (I think there's only one)? I've been intrigued, but not enough to take the plunge yet.

Cecil McBee's "Mutima" lp is something of a mixed bag. A long arco bass duet with McBee overdubbing, a sprited freeish piece, a Pharoah Sanders like number with tinkling percussion, a groovier cut with McBee Jnr on electric bass and two short pieces, presumably the openings to longer works.

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