How much playing time on 12inch 78s?

[medjuck]

I've been listening to Alan Lowe's excellent "Really the Blues?" compilation and several of the cuts are nearly 5 minutes long. I presume that these were originally 12 inch 78s. How common were they and what was their maximum playing time?

[Clunky]

12inch jazz 78 seem to me to be quite uncommon. I've just a handful from Asch , Blue Note, HMV (Victor), Keynote and Disc.

Presumably cost considerations kept 12 inchers from being common in the 78 era . Regarding playing time 5 minutes seems about right in my limited experience.

[king ubu]

I think there's some info about them in the booklet of the Hawkins Keynote 4CD set ... there are plenty of "overtime" tracks there - glorious stuff!

[JSngry]

12" came to be the norm for longer classical works, correct?

4-5 min/side is their capacity.

My uncle had this one, first 12" 78 I had ever seen.

[Chuck Nessa]

What Jim said. In the late '30s Commodore and H.R.S. issued the larger size as well. Earlier, Irving Mills had convinced Victor and Brunswick to use the larger disc for Ellington.