Why Are Ahmad Jamal Albums Always Trashed?

[Teasing the Korean]

Well, here's a rarity: I found the Argo album where he's sitting in the moderne chair for a buck (the LP, not the chair) and it is in PRISTINE condition.

I've certainly found clean copies of his albums over the years, but they are almost always beat to hell.

What's the deal, were they party records back in the day and no one took care of them?

[JSngry]

Seems right to me...everybody I knew who had original copies got them from their parents, and the stories were always like, yeah, the old man would come home from work and...or Sunday afternoons were reserved for music and...just various scenarios of the records being "lifestyle items".

Remember, this was back when you could buy record players at Western Auto & the average tracking force was 37 pounds.

[AllenLowe]

I thought this was about CRITICAL response (unless people are using them as frisbees).

[Stefan Wood]

Maybe it's a regional thing; here in the DC area I have run across tons of pristine Ahmal Jamal Argo lps. The hard to find ones are the 20th Century lps.

[Teasing the Korean]

Well, in four cities I've lived in, along along the US East Coast, they are almost always trashed. I hear what JSngry is saying, but it seems out of proportion with Ahmad Jamal.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Teasing the Korean

[Stefan Wood]

Jamal's Argo lps were popular!!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Yes, Ahmad had the first really MONSTER hit modern jazz album, 'But not for me'. And quite a few other hit albums, through into the seventies. Leonard Chess wouldn't have kept on recording him if he hadn't made money. 'Poinciana' is really terrific dance stuff, as are quite a few other cuts.

I found, shortly before the Mosaic came out, the whole lot of his early ARGO LPs, all in great condition, in the main Cardiff 2nd hand record shop. I asked the owner if someone had flogged them to him in anticipation of the Mosaic coming out but he said he'd bought them when someone had sold his whole collection of vinyl. So I bought a couple of Earl Grants, knowing I was going to get the Mosaic.

MG

[Big Beat Steve]

Remembering that among all the MOR, VERY EASY-listening stuff churned out on AFN FM radio by such "name bands" as Percy Faith, Mantovani, Hugo Winterhalter, Bert Kaempfert, etc. there was bound to be an Ahmad Jamal item coming up relatively frequently amidst all those MOR pop band sounds, I am not at all surprised to see that his LPs apparently were abused so often by "non-collecting" music consumers of the day who spun the records at their parties.

[clifford_thornton]

Considering how frequently I see trashed copies of Sunny Murray, AEC and Alan Silva records, I'd say that being "art music" or "jazz" or whatever doesn't preclude an album from being poorly taken care of.

[David Ayers]

Jazz albums that people actually played? Those really were the days...

[mikeweil]

I remember looking for Jamal LPs back in the 1980's and never finding any here in Germany. Only in the Paris store Crocodisc I did find a whole batch - but these had been played, for sure ...

Edited April 24, 2012 by mikeweil

[Big Beat Steve]

I remember looking for Jamal LPs back in the 1980's and never finding any here in Germany. Only in the Paris store Crocodics I did find a whole batch - but these had been played, for sure ...

CrocoJAZZ, you mean ...

I remember coming across a bunch of original Ahmad Jamal Jazz LPs in a secondhand shop sometime in the 90s but passed them up as the vinyl was really beat up. But I did pick up Shorty Rogers' "Chances Are It Swings", Herb Pomeroy's "Band In Boston", Kenny Dorham's "Jazz Contemporary" (Time) and The International Youth Band at Newport 1958 that all clearly came from the same original owner. But on these last ones the vinyl was in far better shape and plays quite nicely. So again ... the Jamals must have been pressed into service a bit more at parties (or wherever ...).

[John L]

Jamal's Argo lps were popular!!

Yes. Most jazz artists are only loved by jazz fans, many of whom are very anal about taking good care of their records. People who were not jazz fans per se bought Jamal records and stacked them up on the multiple LP turntables with their other stuff. They played 'em bald.

[JSngry]

There's a story to every scratch...

[Stefan Wood]

Jamal's Argo lps were popular!!

Yes. Most jazz artists are only loved by jazz fans, many of whom are very anal about taking good care of their records. People who were not jazz fans per se bought Jamal records and stacked them up on the multiple LP turntables with their other stuff. They played 'em bald.

And once they were done with the Jamals, they stacked the Jimmy Smiths and burned the place down!

[Chalupa]

As a friend of mine that owns a used record store says,"That's not a 'trashed' lp, that's a 'previously enjoyed' lp."

Edited April 23, 2012 by J.H. Deeley

[ejp626]

As a friend of mine that owns a used record store says,"That's not a 'trashed' lp, that's a 'previously enjoyed' lp."

Too bad then that the previous owner squeezed all the enjoyment out of it already.

Have to say I don't think it reflects that well on stores that carry trashed LPs.

[Chalupa]

As a friend of mine that owns a used record store says,"That's not a 'trashed' lp, that's a 'previously enjoyed' lp."

Too bad then that the previous owner squeezed all the enjoyment out of it already.

Have to say I don't think it reflects that well on stores that carry trashed LPs.

Oh those are fodder for the $1.00 bin.