Left Bank Jazz Society at Wolfgang's Vault?

[bertrand]

For the sake of argument, let's ignore the legal issues, which are of course the elephant in the room.

Wouldn't it make sense for Wolfgang's Vault to acquire the Left Bank Jazz Society catalogue and make the recordings available for download?

There are several arguments in favor:

1) All the recordings could be made available, not just those the labels deem the most marketable.

2) Some of them do not sound that great.

3) There are many incomplete tracks on the tapes, or portions of the tapes are degraded, and the labels would not put those tracks out, even if they have some killer solos. Wolfgang would not have such concerns from past experience.

Only a few Left Bank members survive, and the youngest one who has the tapes is in his early 80s. Time to make a permanent plan here. Letting them sit in Zev Feldman's office (or wherever they are currently housed) is not a permanent solution.

Bertrand.

PS: I would much prefer CD options like the Roy Brooks, but not everything can be released. Also, they left a couple of tracks out for space issues, a problem Wolfgang would not have.

Edited January 19, 2022 by bertrand

[Dan Gould]

Isn't WG a commercial concern? Why would they offer less marketable artists, poor recordings or a lot of incomplete takes? Wolfgang's is better than any academic setting where you access only in person, and only with the secret handshake, but by how much?

In the end, and this may distress you, but the tapes are in the hands of whoever, including Zev.

Zev/Cory Weeds/ Resonance/Blue Note - is there a worse outcome than some regular reissue of what they choose from whatever they have?

Yeah, old, decrepit tapes that you never ever hear because they end up in a bag in the front yard of someone's estate sale, and then pitched for lack of a buyer.

Things could be better, and they could also be worse.

[sgcim]

Comparing the great music that was recorded at Left Bank to some of the music at WGV, they would be lucky to have it.

[bertrand]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Isn't WG a commercial concern? Why would they offer less marketable artists, poor recordings or a lot of incomplete takes? Wolfgang's is better than any academic setting where you access only in person, and only with the secret handshake, but by how much?

In the end, and this may distress you, but the tapes are in the hands of whoever, including Zev.

Zev/Cory Weeds/ Resonance/Blue Note - is there a worse outcome than some regular reissue of what they choose from whatever they have?

Yeah, old, decrepit tapes that you never ever hear because they end up in a bag in the front yard of someone's estate sale, and then pitched for lack of a buyer.

Things could be better, and they could also be worse.

Have you seen what jazz is at Wolfgang? This would fit right in. There are many incomplete tracks, hardly a precedent.

Zev is only borrowing. Left Bank can still place recordings elsewhere. But they would need to be proactive.

44 minutes ago, sgcim said:

Comparing the great music that was recorded at Left Bank to some of the music at WGV, they would be lucky to have it.

There is some great Jazz at Wolfgang, especially Newport. But yes, acquiring Left Bank tapes would definitely make their jazz collection far superior.

Edited January 20, 2022 by bertrand