mikeweil Posted November 14, 2019 Report Posted November 14, 2019 I wrote a list of all CD issues of vintage jazz, Cuban, South American, Carribean etc. music that the British Harlequin label issued. The label's web pages list only CDs currently available; I added CDs from my collection and those listed on doscogs, but there still are some gaps - I'd be much obliged if some board members could help me close them: Harlequin CD Listing HQCD 01 Spike Jones: Riot Squad HQCD 02 Sike Jones: Louder and Funnier. Transcriptions and V-Discs HQCD 03 Charlie & his Orchestra Volume 1 HQCD 04 Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster: Bean & Ben 1944-1945 HQCD 05 Tubby Hayes: Live 1969 HQCD 06 Don Barreto 1923-1935 HQCD 07 Lecuona Cuban Boys Volume Two HQCD 08 Township Swing Jazz 1954-1958 HQCD 09 Charlie And His Orchestra Vol. 2 - I Got Rhythm 1941 - 1944 HQCD 10 Don Azpiazu HQCD 11 Lecuona Cuban Boys Volume One HQCD 12 Valaida: Volume 1 1935-1937 HQCD 13 HQCD 14 Xavier Cugat: Bim Bam Bum 1935-1940 HQCD 15 Edmundo Ros and his Rumba Band 1939-1941 HQCD 16 Various: Trinidad 1912-1941 HQCD 17 HQCD 18 Valaida: Volume 2 1935-1940 HQCD 19 Una Mae Carlisle - Savanna Churchill - Maxine Sullivan HQCD 20 Don Barreto: Volume 2 HQCD 21 Lecuona Cuban Boys Volume III HQCD 22 HQCD 23 Various: Hot Music from Cuba 1907-1936 HQCD 24 HQCD 25 Various: San Francisco Jazz - Flexo Recordings 1930-1932 HQCD 26 The Music of Puerto Rico 1926-1941 HQCD 27 Septeto Anacaona & Ciro Rimac 1936 - 1937 HQCD 28 Various: Tickling the Strings HQCD 29 Xavier Gugat with Dinah Shore HQCD 30 Spike Jones: Com's A-Poppin' HQCD 31 Rico's Creole Band 1931-1937 HQCD 32 Antonio Machin: Volume 2 HQCD 33 Carmen Miranda: The Brazilian Recordings HQCD 34 Various: Tango Ladies HQCD 35 Lecuona Cuban Boys: Volume 5 HQCD 36 Don Marino Barreto 1936-1943 HQCD 37 Various: Cubans in Europe Volume 1 HQCD 38 Xavier Cugat: Unheard Transcriptions & Airshots HQCD 39 Miguelito Valdes with the Orquesta Casino de la Playa HQCD 40 Trio Matamoros 1928-1939 HQCD 41 Rico's Creole Band: Volume 2 HQCD 42 Don Barreto: Volume 3 HQCD 43 Dinah Shore: Mad About You, Sad About You HQCD 44 HQCD 45 Various: Instrumental Tangos of the Golden Age HQCD 46 Various: On a Coconut Island HQCD 47 Orquesta Tipica Select 1920 - Argentine Tango HQCD 48 Havana Cuban Boys HQCD 49 HQCD 50 Edmundo Ros: Tropical Magic HQCD 51 Orquesta Casino de la Playa HQCD 52 Se Va La Vida – Tango Ladies 1923-1954 HQCD 53 Sexteto Habanero 1926-1931 HQCD 54 Lecuona Cuban Boys In Venezuela 1940 (Volume 6) HQCD 55 Xavier Cugat: The Early Years HQCD 56 Various: Cubans in Europe Volume 2 HQCD 57 On The Beach At Waikiki 1914-1952 HQCD 58 Antonio Machin 1933-1934 Volume 3 HQCD 59 Armando Orefiche & his Havana Cuban Boys HQCD 60 NBC's Chamber Music of Lower Basin Street HQCD 61 Various: Buenos Aires to Berlin HQCD 62 Various: Cuban Trios 1940-1941 HQCD 63 Various: Cuban Big Bands 1940-1941 HQCD 64 Various: Cuban Sextetos & Conjuntos HQCD 65 Various: Cuban Danzoneras 1932-1946 HQCD 66 Bianco - Bachicha HQCD 67 Various: Early Music of the Northern Caribbean 1916-1920 HQCD 68 Rafael Hernandez 1932-1939 HQCD 69 Trio Matamoros HQCD 70 Various: Instrumental Tangos of the "Old Guard" HQCD 71 Juan D'Arienzo: King of Rhythm 1937-1944 HQCD 72 Pedro Flores 1935-1938 HQCD 73 Edmundo Ros and his Rumba Band Volume 3: Cuban Love Song 1940 HQCD 74 HQCD 75 Cuarteto Caney 1936-1939 HQCD 76 Johnny Rodriguez 1936-1940 HQCD 77 Anselmo Sacasas 1942-1944 HQCD 78 Noro Morales: Live Boradcasts and Transcriptions 1942-1948 HQCD 79 La Sonora Matancera: Live On The Radio 1952-1958 HQCD 80 Connie Boswell: Deep in a Dream HQCD 81 Miguelito Valdes: Havana 1938-1940 Volume 2 HQCD 82 Sexteto Habanero 1926-1948 HQCD 83 Xavier Cugat: Congas, Chihuahuas and Rumbas 1940-1945 HQCD 84 Nilo Menendez 1934-1938 HQCD 85 Lecuona Cuban Boys Volume 7 (In South-America 1940-1944) HQCD 86 Pedro Marcano 1935-1940 HQCD 87 Machito and his Afro-Cubans HQCD 88 Various: Buenos Aires to Madrid HQCD 89 HQCD 90 Orquesta Tipica Victor 1926-1931 HQCD 91 Various: Classic Bands of Tangos Golden Age HQCD 92 Various: Rhythm of the Islands 1913-1952 HQCD 93 Felix Mendelssohn & His Hawaiian Serenaders HQCD 94 Carmen Miranda 1930-1945 Volume 2 HQCD 95 Xavier Cugat: On the Radio 1935-1942 HQCD 96 Lecuona Cuban Boys 1941-44 Volume 8 (Carnival In Buenos Aires) HQCD 97 HQCD 98 ¡Soy Un Arlequin! (Tango Ladies 1923-1947) HQCD 99 HQCD 100 Spike Jones: The Bluebirds HQCD 101 Johnny Rodriguez 1935-1940 Volume 2 HQCD 102 Davalita HQCD 103 Xavier Cugat: Cuban Love Song 1939-1940 HQCD 104 Cuarteto Machin Volume 4 HQCD 105 Edmundo Ros And His Rumba Band Vol. 4: Chiquita Bacana 1946-1947 HQCD 106 Desi Arnaz 1937-1947 HQCD 107 Lecuona Cuban Boys Vol. 9: Live, On Film & New York Sessions 1946-1949 HQCD 108 Roberto Inglez 1945-1947 HQCD 109 Various: Cubans in Europe 1934-1954 Volume 3 HQCD 110 Rafael Muñoz Volume 2 HQCD 111 Armando Orefiche 1951-1961 HQCD 112 Various: Isle of Golden Dreams HQCD 113 Los Amigos Panamericanos HQCD 114 Various: Before The Tango -Argentina's Folk Tradition 1905-1936 HQCD 115 Xavier Cugat: Loves to Tango HQCD 116 Pedro Flores 1933-1942 HQCD 117 Francisco Canaro 1924-1940 HQCD 118 Freddy Gardner HQCD 119 Pepito Torres HQCD 120 Thursday's Tangos from the Golden Age HQCD 121 Various: Buenos Aires to Europe HQCD 122 Antonio Machin 1935 Volume 5 HQCD 123 Antobal's Cubans 1932-1937 HQCD 124 Oscar Calle 1932-1939 HQCD 125 Xavier Cugat: Cugat's Nugats HQCD 126 Various: Guiro, Bongo y Maraccas HQCD 127 German Tango Bands 1929-1935 HQCD 128 Rafael Munoz Volume 3 HQCD 129 Edmundo Ros: La Comparsa Volume 5 HQCD 130 Hawaiian Memories: Rare Transcription Discs 1936-1947 HQCD 131 Various: Early Cuban Danzon Orchestras 1916-1920 HQCD 132 Xavier Cugat: Cugat on Film HQCD 133 Carmen Miranda: The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat HQCD 134 Cuarteto Mayari 1941-1942 HQCD 135 Fausto Delgado 1929-1942 HQCD 136 HQCD 137 Xavier Cugat: Weekend in Havana HQCD 138 Roberto Firpo 1920-1944 HQCD 139 Machito: Baila Baila Baila 1943-1948 HQCD 140 Billo's Caracas Boys 1941-1944 HQCD 141 Bobby Capo 1940-1944 HQCD 142 Various: Euroswing 1936-1948 HQCD 143 Julio de Caro 1926-1932 HQCD 144 Spade Cooley: Big Band 1950-1952 HQCD 145 Carlos Gardel: The Magic of Carlos Gardel HQCD 146 Ramon "Moncho" Usera HQCD 147 Edmundo Ros: Chocolate Whiskey & Vanilla Gin Volume 6 HQCD 148 Cesar Concepcion Volume 1 HQCD 149 Ivy Benson & her All Girls Band HQCD 150 Xavier Cugat: The Unheard Xavier Cugat HQCD 151 Ary Barroso with Carmen Miranda HQCD 152 Various: Argentine Swing 1936-1948 HQCD 153 Alfredo de Angelis HQCD 154 Xavier Cugat: Live from Statler-Hilton & Roseland Hotels HQCD 155 Orquesta Tipica Victor HQCD 156 Carlos Molina 1932-1946 HQCD 157 HQCD 158 Graeme Bell & his Australian Jazz Band 1948 HQCD 159 Osvaldo Pugliese: In the 1940s HQCD 160 Xavier Cugat: Jack Jack Jack HQCD 161 Xavier Cugat: Live from the Waldorf-Astoria 1950-1954 HQCD 162 Felix Mendelssohn: Paradise Isle HQCD 163 Freddy Gardner: Body & Soul 1939-1950 HQCD 164-5 Edmundo Ros: Mambo Jambo 1949-1950 Volume 7 & 8 HQCD 166 Xavier Cugat: In Person 1940-1942 HQCD 167 Spike Jones: The Ones You Always Wanted HQCD 168 Ignacio Corsini: The Prince of Song 1922-1940 HQCD 169 Francisco Canaro: Adios Muchachos 1926-1938 HQCD 170 Xavier Cugat with Jose Luis Monero 1946-1948 HQCD 171 Various: German Tango Orchestras 1926-1942 HQCD 172 Miguel Calo & his Orchestra of the Stars 1942-1950 HQCD 173 Edmundo Ros: Radio Broadcasts 1960-1961 HQCD 174 Xavier Cugat: The War Years 1941-1945 HQCD 175 HQCD 176 Victor Silvester's Jive Band HQCD 177 Edmundo Ros: It's Illegal, It's Immoral or It Makes You Fat HQCD 178 Spike Jones: Fonk HQCD 179 Xavier Cugat: Among his Earliest HQCD 180-1 Edmundo Ros: Playtime in Brazil HQCD 182 Various: Steeling Round the World - Hawaiian Style HQCD 183 Enric Madriguera: The Minute Samba HQCD 184 Bob Crosby: 1939 Camel Caravan Shows HQCD 185 Leon McAuliffe: Take It Away Leon HQCD 186 Chuy Reyes: 1947-1950 HQCD 187 Various: Broadway's Gone Hawaii HQCD 188 Freddy Gardner: Sideman Supreme Quote
jazztrain Posted November 14, 2019 Report Posted November 14, 2019 (edited) Here are several based on some searching on the web: HQCD 13. Hawaiian Memories, Rare Transcription Discs, 1936-1947 HQCD 17. Xavier Cugat with Jose Luis Monero, 1946-1948 HQCD 22. Puerto Rico 1929-1947 HQCD 24. Cuarteto Machin, Vol. 1, 1931-32 (also seen as 1930-1932) HQCD 44. Enric Madriguera, 1920-1941 HQCD 49. Pedro Flores, 1938-1942 HQCD 74. Cuarteto Marcano, 1939-1945 HQCD 89. Great Bands of Tango's Golden Age, 1936-1940 HQCD 97. Rafael Munoz, Volume 1, 1938-1943 HQCD 99. Buenos Aires To Paris, Argentine tango Performers in France, 1924-1938 HQCD 136. Rafael Munoz, Volume 4 HQCD 157. The Rhythm of Juan D'Arienzo I think that's all you were missing except for HQCD 175. Can't find that so far. Edited November 14, 2019 by jazztrain additions Quote
Late Posted November 15, 2019 Report Posted November 15, 2019 I really like this label. HQCD 90, Orquesta Tipica Victor: 1926-1931, is one of my favorites. A great label for tango and Cuban music. Last year around December, for whatever reasons, Amazon had a number of Harlequin titles priced at $2.99 and $3.99 with free shipping over $25. I purchased about seven titles. Quote
Late Posted November 16, 2019 Report Posted November 16, 2019 I know this is a Discography thread, but what the heck (hope you don't mind). This one is great: Anyone else collect this label? Quote
mikeweil Posted November 16, 2019 Author Report Posted November 16, 2019 I gave up attempting complete collections of such labels - many issues are oop and hard to get used. And there are overlaps of the Cuban stuff with reissues on Tumbao. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted November 16, 2019 Report Posted November 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Late said: Anyone else collect this label? I did - sort of ... in the vinyl days. Their "Jazz and Hot Dance" series, for example, was very impressive. Krazy Kat and it subsidiaries almost always were a safe bet their reissues would be right up my alley. I kept buying Harlequins here and there in the CD era and would have bought more (if only to get a taster ... particularly the Latin reissues), just like I bought a LOT of CDs from the Krazy Kat mother label and its Country Routes offshoot. However - the Harlequin CDs seemed to have been badly distributed and most cannot have been in print very long. I have had a bookmark of the Krazy Kat website for a VERY long time and checked it regularly through the years. And through all this period the Harlequin listing contained only a small fraction of the listing above. Most of these must have gone OOP very, very long ago. Quote
JSngry Posted November 16, 2019 Report Posted November 16, 2019 So, Harlequin CDs of the early Cubam music recordungs...good transfers, or LCD PD mess? Asking because I found a stash, but deferred due to assuming the latter. But let me know if I was wrong, please. Quote
Late Posted November 17, 2019 Report Posted November 17, 2019 3 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said: Harlequin CDs seemed to have been badly distributed and most cannot have been in print very long. I think this is probably the case. 3 hours ago, JSngry said: So, Harlequin CDs of early Cuban music recordings ... good transfers, or LCD PD mess? The transfers are variable, but they're no worse than what you'd expect from historical recordings on labels like Document or Yazoo. The Johnny Rodriguez pictured above is one of the better transfers. I've only been stung a few times, where the transfer really got in the way of enjoyment of the music. For historical recordings of Cuban music, I'd confidently recommend the label. Generally speaking, the smaller the band (there are a lot of trio records), the better the transfer. Sound samples can be found on Allmusic, but you have to Google the disc's precise title + Allmusic to get to the actual page with 30 second sound files. (Or at least I did.) Searching for the label on Amazon or eBay can also prove difficult, but the list up above should help a lot. Here's what Amazon shows, with a lot of non-related titles in the mix. The Trio Matamoros discs are good; the Antonio Machin titles are also very good. (I would NOT buy Carlos Gardel titles on Harlequin; for Gardel, get the discs on the Nimbus label.) If you get into the music, and some surface noise doesn't bother you, there's a lot of exploring fun to be had. Weirdly, some of the oldest music on the label (1910's) has the best transfers. Quote
JSngry Posted November 17, 2019 Report Posted November 17, 2019 That sounds like a deal I can make, thanks! Quote
jazztrain Posted November 17, 2019 Report Posted November 17, 2019 14 hours ago, Late said: I think this is probably the case. The transfers are variable, but they're no worse than what you'd expect from historical recordings on labels like Document or Yazoo. The Johnny Rodriguez pictured above is one of the better transfers. I've only been stung a few times, where the transfer really got in the way of enjoyment of the music. For historical recordings of Cuban music, I'd confidently recommend the label. Generally speaking, the smaller the band (there are a lot of trio records), the better the transfer. Sound samples can be found on Allmusic, but you have to Google the disc's precise title + Allmusic to get to the actual page with 30 second sound files. (Or at least I did.) Searching for the label on Amazon or eBay can also prove difficult, but the list up above should help a lot. Here's what Amazon shows, with a lot of non-related titles in the mix. The Trio Matamoros discs are good; the Antonio Machin titles are also very good. (I would NOT buy Carlos Gardel titles on Harlequin; for Gardel, get the discs on the Nimbus label.) If you get into the music, and some surface noise doesn't bother you, there's a lot of exploring fun to be had. Weirdly, some of the oldest music on the label (1910's) has the best transfers. I agree that the transfers on Harlequin are variable. I was say better than Document on average but not up to the standards of Yazoo. The Yazoo transfers were, in my opinion, generally excellent, especially considering the rarity of the material used in many of their releases. Quote
Late Posted November 17, 2019 Report Posted November 17, 2019 34 minutes ago, jazztrain said: I agree that the transfers on Harlequin are variable. I would say better than Document on average but not up to the standards of Yazoo. Agreed. Probably somewhere between the two. Quote
jazztrain Posted November 21, 2019 Report Posted November 21, 2019 I was in contact with the owner of the label (Harlequin) to try to find out about the missing issue. The label shut down in July 2018. The owner confirmed that HQCD 175 was never issued. He suspects that something was planned but can't recall what it might have been. Quote
Late Posted November 21, 2019 Report Posted November 21, 2019 1 hour ago, jazztrain said: The label shut down in July 2018. That's a bummer. There's still a ton of titles I haven't heard from the label. I imagine they'll be harder to find now. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted November 22, 2019 Report Posted November 22, 2019 17 hours ago, Late said: That's a bummer. There's still a ton of titles I haven't heard from the label. I imagine they'll be harder to find now. A bummer indeed. But I was suspecting something like this. Their website (Interstate Music) is still up ( http://www.interstate-music.co.uk ) but the contents haven't changed for ages. The most recent Krazy Kat CD (Light Crust Doughboys, KK 37), for example, has a production and reissue date of 2007 on the back "cover". Quote
jazztrain Posted November 22, 2019 Report Posted November 22, 2019 The person I had contact with referred to "the business" having been shut down in July 2018. It was unclear whether he was referring to just Harlequin or, as I suspect, to Interstate Music. He's the general contact for enquiries for Interstate Music. I suspect that means that we won't be seeing anything else coming out on the other Interstate labels. The website shows the Krazy Kat Light Crust Doughboys CD under the "new releases" link. Quote
Late Posted November 30, 2019 Report Posted November 30, 2019 Listening to (above) right now — excellent! Some of the falsetto ballads are exquisite. Quote
mikeweil Posted May 22, 2020 Author Report Posted May 22, 2020 Recently found the Sacasas CD, really good music, with its own balance of Cuban rhythm and jazz, certainly a level the Machito band had to work to reach. Recommended, if you can find it. Quote
Late Posted May 26, 2020 Report Posted May 26, 2020 On 5/22/2020 at 5:18 PM, mikeweil said: Recently found the Sacasas CD ... Nice find! Quote
Late Posted January 21, 2023 Report Posted January 21, 2023 On 11/29/2019 at 4:09 PM, Late said: Listening to (above) right now — excellent! Some of the falsetto ballads are exquisite. Listening to this again in 2023. Great energy in this music. I need to play it more. On 5/21/2020 at 5:18 PM, mikeweil said: Recently found the Sacasas CD, really good music, with its own balance of Cuban rhythm and jazz, certainly a level the Machito band had to work to reach. Recommended, if you can find it. Is Sacasas on this one? (Preliminary searches tell me no.) Quote
mikeweil Posted January 22, 2023 Author Report Posted January 22, 2023 4 hours ago, Late said: Is Sacasas on this one? (Preliminary searches tell me no.) No idea. This CD is new to me, but I will try to find a copy. Quote
hopkins Posted January 22, 2023 Report Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) Some of these albums are available on streaming services, now issued by the "Interstate" label: http://www.interstate-music.co.uk/harlequin/harlequinindex.htm Here's a link to the catalog available on Qobuz: https://play.qobuz.com/label/94586 I could not find the label on Spotify. For those interested, the sessions on "Ben & Bean" (source - Jan Evensmo's Jazz Archeology site) are: Sir Walter Thomas And His All Stars Recorded in NYC on October 11, 1944 1. Out to Lunch 2. In the Hush of the Night 3. Every Man for Himself 4. Look out Jack 18. In the Hush of the Night (Alternate Version) 19. Every Man for Himself (Alternate Version) 20. Look out Jack (Alternate Version) * Jonah Jones - trumpet * Eddie Barefield - clarinet, alto saxophone * Hilton Jefferson - alto saxophone * Coleman Hawkins, Walter Thomas - tenor saxophone * Clyde Hart - piano * Milt Hinton - bass * Cozy Cole - drums Coleman Hawkins Quartet Recorded in NYC on October 19, 1944 5. On the Bean 6. Recollections 7. Flyin' Hawk 8. Drifting on a Reed * Coleman Hawkins - tenor saxophone * Thelonius Monk - piano * Edward Robinson - bass * Denzil Best - drums Walter Foots Thomas And His Jumpcats Recorded in NYC on April 1, 1944 9. Broke but Happy 10. Blues on the Bayou 11. Jumpin' with Judy 12. Blues on the Delta 17. Jumpin with Judy (Alternate Version) * Emmett Berry - trumpet * Walter Thomas - clarinet, alto & tenor saxophone * Budd Johnson - clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone * Ben Webster - tenor saxohpone * Clyde Hart - piano * Oscar Pettiford - bass * Cozy Cole - drums Sir Walter Thomas And His Band Recorded in NYC on March 8, 1945 13. The Bottle's Empty 14. Save It Pretty Mama 15. For Lovers Only 16. Peach Tree Street Blues * Charlie Shavers - trumpet * Milt Yaner - clarinet * Walter Thomas - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone * Ben Webster - tenor saxophone * Ernie Caceres - clarinet, baritone saxophone * Billy Taylor - piano * Slam Stewart - bass * Cozy Cole - drums Edited January 22, 2023 by hopkins Typo Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted January 22, 2023 Report Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) The Bean & Ben Sessions (minus the alternates which I guess are not 100% essential) have been around the reissue block quite often. Most of those sessions were reissued on Prestige 7584 in the late 60s as part of their "Prestige Historical Series" and remained in print for quite a long time and must have been distributed fairly well. I bought a copy of its German license pressing (Bellaphon BJS 40122) while I was still in school in the late 70s, and this became one of my (almost desert-island) favorites among early-mid 40s small-band swing. In fact I bought another NM copy ("just in case ...") a couple of years ago cheaply at a clearout sale (and I could have picked up more irresistibly priced secondhand copies through the years). The sessions were then reissued again in the 80s on vinyl on Harlequin HQ2004 (when Interstate reissued a HUGE bunch of Joe Davis masters, filling a LOT of LPs). When it hit the shops here I skipped this one it because I already had all of the master take contents (the one Coleman Hawkins session - of 19 Oct. 1944 - that was not on Prestige 7584 had been reissued on Prestige 7824) but I remember it was available for quite a while too. Secondhand copies are not impossible to find at a good price either. So all these reissues must have sold fairly well. Edited January 22, 2023 by Big Beat Steve Quote
Late Posted January 22, 2023 Report Posted January 22, 2023 Amazon actually shows more titles than three years ago for "Harlequin Records." Prices are much steeper, however. Quote
Late Posted January 22, 2023 Report Posted January 22, 2023 2 hours ago, hopkins said: For those interested, the sessions on "Ben & Bean" (source - Jan Evensmo's Jazz Archeology site) are: I like how a compilation featuring Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster has Walter Thomas on the cover. (Though it is Thomas's orchestra that's featured.) Quote
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