unreleased Transition acetate

[romualdo]

I presume most followers of the Transition label (Boston based mid 50s run by Tom Wilson) know of the existence of sides III & IV of a (likely) double LP acetate set - the second volume has been found (not the first AFAIK). It contains outtakes (unreleased as of now) from Sun Ra's Transition recordings, A Dave Coleman track plus two versions of Bags' Groove (longer one with flubbed ending then a short one which is actually a redo of the ending) by the Joe Gordon/Roy Haynes Quintet (sounds like a quintet but no idea of who is on ts/p/dm). Some prominent tenor throughout the two tracks - love to know who it is. A fellow board member & friend has sent me the two tracks on a CDr - currently listening. These tracks were originally put up on YouTube but i havn't been able to find them - possibly removed?

https://musicpriceguide.com/12572/SUN-RA-outtakes-1957-ACETATE-LP-UNRELEASED-TRANSITION-unknown-recordings-HEAR.html

[bertrand]

I have not heard this, but could the tenor be Mobley?

Edited August 13, 2021 by bertrand

[romualdo]

2 hours ago, bertrand said:

I have not heard this, but could the tenor be Mobley?

doesn't sound like Hank

[JSngry]

Is the Ra stuff on that 14 CD set that Michael Anderson put out?

[romualdo]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Is the Ra stuff on that 14 CD set that Michael Anderson put out?

doesn't look like it - just had a look at my set

[Stonewall15]

Unreleased Transition label music sometimes surfaces. I am looking for Transition TRLP-18 (Jay Migliori- title "Jazz Down Beat") which was close enough to release that it was included in the Lord Discography and one song (Something's Gotta Give") is on TRLP-30 Transition Sampler. That booklet has a complete listing for TRLP-18. Hopefully the tape or acetate is floating around some where and will eventually surface. Fresh Sound Records has released several rare Transition LPs as CDs and would probably be interested in TRLP-18.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Stonewall15
additional information

[ombudsman]

Some background here on Steve Fassett's recording activity.

http://woodberrypoetryroom.com/?p=3044

[romualdo]

3 hours ago, ombudsman said:

Some background here on Steve Fassett's recording activity.

http://woodberrypoetryroom.com/?p=3044

thanks, interesting read - mainly covers poetry & folk revival recordings but does touch on jazz - Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill, Sun Ra (Transition recordings)

[James Accardi]

The tenor player on the Sun Ra tracks is John Gilmore. This July 12, 1956 session is listed in the Gilmore solography I co-wrote with Jan Evensmo (available at jazzarcheology.com).

Delilah, which was unissued at the time of the eBay auction, was included on “Kosmos In Blue” (John Gilmore Anthology Vol. 1).

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by James Accardi
added additional information

[romualdo]

9 hours ago, James Accardi said:

The tenor player on the Sun Ra tracks is John Gilmore. This July 12, 1956 session is listed in the Gilmore solography I co-wrote with Jan Evensmo (available at jazzarcheology.com).

Delilah, which was unissued at the time of the eBay auction, was included on “Kosmos In Blue” (John Gilmore Anthology Vol. 1).

Thanks James, BTW anything new on Wardell G?

 

[Chuck Nessa]

I was at Delmark at the time of their Sun Ra purchase. Bob had earlier bought a Donald Byrd master and I found the list of available masters and encouraged Bob to buy the Ras. I have a memory of an acetate of Joe Gordon - probably not the disc mentioned 'cause I'm pretty sure I would have remembered the Ra titles. Red and white label like the one pictured. It might still be at Delmark. Another possibility is my memory if faulty and that is the disc from Delmark - Wolfgang's Vault bought the contents of the Jazz Record Mart a few years ago and the acetate could have been there.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Chuck Nessa

[jimmyjrg]

Does anyone still have the audio from the listings for this acetate? The original listing had three samples, and they don't appear anywhere else that I can see.

I'd be very keen to hear them if possible, especially the Coleman and Gordon samples.

As an aside, this blog post from 2012 mentioned Michael D. Anderson was producing a Sun Ra compilation "The Complete Transition Recordings (2) CD’s (2) recording sessions (w/lots of unreleased recordings)", which I don't think ever came out. I wonder if it would have included similar outtakes as on this acetate.

[romualdo]

On 1/14/2025 at 4:29 AM, jimmyjrg said:

Does anyone still have the audio from the listings for this acetate? The original listing had three samples, and they don't appear anywhere else that I can see.

here it is - two or three? tracks from this acetate have been released on the recent Cosmic Myth Sun Ra Arkestra "Super-Sonic Jazz" double CD

 

[romualdo]

Jazz By Sun Ra Volume 3 (Unreleased 1956 Transition Acetate)

Music For Your Ears

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287 views Feb 1, 2025

0:00 Call For All Demons (take 2) (false start)

0:56 Possession (take 1) (incomplete)

1:50 Street Named Hell (take 1) (false start)

2:58 Future (incomplete, tb solo only)

3:32 Fragment (p noodling only)

3:53 Delilah

7:30 Delight (take 1)

9:50 Delight (take 2)

12:09 Unidentified Hard Bop

 

Recorded at Universal Recording, Chicago, July 12, 1956.

This video collects the unreleased songs from the session that became Jazz By Sun Ra Volume 1, released by Transition Records in 1957. A second volume was also recorded, but Transition closed before it could be released. It later came out as the album Sound of Joy on Delmark. Recently, Sam Records reissued Vol 1 and 2 together for the first time, which is why I chose the name Volume 3 for this collection. It is not officially known by this name and I don't think it has ever been officially released in full (maybe one or two songs have appeared on a compilation though).

For more information on this session, read From Sonny Blount to Sun Ra: The Chicago Years by Robert L. Campbell, Christopher Trent, and Robert Pruter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[clifford_thornton]

had not heard this acetate before, very interesting.

[cayetano]

Apparently, last theme on acetate, Unidentified hard bop, is named "Stratosphere" on the Cosmic Myth expanded "Super sonic jazz".