Pacific Jazz Records

[JamesAHarrod]

I did not compile a Pacific Jazz discography per se, but I do link all of the recording sessions to specific releases as part of the narrative. My requests to AFM Local 47 for contract copies yielded nearly 100% of all contracts executed for PJ & WP. A future volume examining World Pacific and Pacific Jazz under Liberty is a possibility as I have copies of those contracts as well. The history ends each yearly chapter with a listing of all releases that year by format 78, 45, 33, etc. Each release includes the matrix numbers in brackets, a useful guide to the order in which projects were initiated. 

[mikeweil]

That will be a treasure trove of information!

p.s. I pre-ordered. 

[JSngry]

6 hours ago, JamesAHarrod said:

A future volume examining World Pacific and Pacific Jazz under Liberty is a possibility as I have copies of those contracts as well. 

Such a project could get pretty wonky, because Richard Bock was going in a lot of different ways all at once. But that's what fascinates me about that period, the sheer different paths being taken by the label all at once, from Ravi Shankar to Buddy Rich to The Mariachi Brass to Bud Shank MOR records to The Jazz Corps to Craig Hundley, just everywhere. 

And then it just all stopped!

[ghost of miles]

Amazon's release date has moved up a couple of months to April 2.

[Big Beat Steve]

4 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Amazon's release date has moved up a couple of months to April 2.

Am I totally mistaken or hasn't the release & delivery date for that book been April 2026 all along? At least that's what amazon.de said all the time. 

[ghost of miles]

29 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Am I totally mistaken or hasn't the release & delivery date for that book been April 2026 all along? At least that's what amazon.de said all the time. 

Pretty sure mine was a June 2026 date when I pre-ordered, but that was quite awhile ago at this point. 

[bertrand]

On 6/26/2025 at 5:55 PM, JamesAHarrod said:

I did not compile a Pacific Jazz discography per se, but I do link all of the recording sessions to specific releases as part of the narrative. My requests to AFM Local 47 for contract copies yielded nearly 100% of all contracts executed for PJ & WP. A future volume examining World Pacific and Pacific Jazz under Liberty is a possibility as I have copies of those contracts as well. The history ends each yearly chapter with a listing of all releases that year by format 78, 45, 33, etc. Each release includes the matrix numbers in brackets, a useful guide to the order in which projects were initiated. 

Can Blue Note contracts be obtained this way as well?

[Big Beat Steve]

7 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Pretty sure mine was a June 2026 date when I pre-ordered, but that was quite awhile ago at this point. 

You made me hesitate, but I checked the early posts in this thread again and I see that on 24 June last year I posted "10 months till publication might be an unbearably long time, though." Which does indicate April 2026. So it's good to see everything seems to be going to plan with readying the book for publication. (It has happened before that long-awaited books have been been postponed almost endlessly) So I'm definitely looking forward to April.  

[JamesAHarrod]

Regarding AFM contracts, the Los Angeles Local's change of key positions (President, Vice-President) has closed access to archival records. Years ago I wrote to the New York local requesting a copy of the agreement authorizing Dick Bock to produce records , got no reply. Bill Crow once told me that the higher ups were not responsive to such requests. 

Regarding release dates for my book. I suspect that McFarland's marketing department sends updates to Amazon for their books that are in production as the manuscripts move through various stages. I ordered a copy once it appeared on Amazon back in July and have received nine different "release dates" - May 8, 12, 22, 29 - June 5, 12, 19, 26 - and the latest April 2nd. I have yet to receive the pdf version that I need to compile the index. I will let the group know when I do as production should follow quickly once I submit the index and a few corrections.

 

[ghost of miles]

2 hours ago, JamesAHarrod said:

Regarding AFM contracts, the Los Angeles Local's change of key positions (President, Vice-President) has closed access to archival records. Years ago I wrote to the New York local requesting a copy of the agreement authorizing Dick Bock to produce records , got no reply. Bill Crow once told me that the higher ups were not responsive to such requests. 

Regarding release dates for my book. I suspect that McFarland's marketing department sends updates to Amazon for their books that are in production as the manuscripts move through various stages. I ordered a copy once it appeared on Amazon back in July and have received nine different "release dates" - May 8, 12, 22, 29 - June 5, 12, 19, 26 - and the latest April 2nd. I have yet to receive the pdf version that I need to compile the index. I will let the group know when I do as production should follow quickly once I submit the index and a few corrections.

 

Ah! That would certainly explain the varying release dates that we've seen. I've got it pre-ordered, whenever it comes out! Thanks for this and all of the other jazz-history work that you've done, James. Anybody wishing to study West Coast jazz now or in the future will need to delve into it. 

[Big Beat Steve]

About the actual release date now ...
Until yesterday Amazon advised me my copy was to arrive this Monday. But this morning I received an "update" that indicated a delay and a new delivery date sometime between 10 July and October 2026 (!!).   Checking Amazon.com (USA) it says the release date is 10 June 2026. Whereas on German amazon.de it still says it's (been) released on 10 April but on the other hand indicates a delivery period between 10 July and 28 October. This time span seems VERY vague to me. 
Anyone know anything from some other source about what happened or what the publication snag now is? 

I've waited for about 10 months for the book so can and will wait some more but it's a pity - something I'm reminded of whenever I look at the space kept free for this book on my otherwise crowded racks of jazz books in my music room. 

[JamesAHarrod]

I reached out to the person at McFarland who overseas the final stages of publishing titles and this is the reply I received today:

"The book is in the final stages. We expect it to go to the printer next week with publication likely in early May."

My thanks to all on the list who have pre-ordered my book. 

Jim

[Big Beat Steve]

Thank you for this information.
Keeping fingers crossed now that things will work out as your publisher told you and Amazon will follow suit ASAP with their shipments ... 

[JamesAHarrod]

I just checked the Barnes & Noble web site and it is stating the publication date in June, same as Amazon. After the book is printed there are the logistics of shipping stock to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers. Members in Europe most likely order and receive items from Amazon warehouses in France, Germany, England? Here in the U.S. many Amazon customers are on Amazon's Prime program where delivery charges are waived (FREE), and most items that I order are delivered the next day! Would appreciate knowing what members in Europe experience with their booksellers of choice? The French Amazon site lists the price as €52.43.

 

Jim

[Big Beat Steve]

I can only speak for myself. So far I have not had any really bad experiences with publishing and shipping dates via Amazon Germany as compared to Amazon.com USA, even for books that I preordered.  The last such case for a preordered book was the Don Byas bio, and IIRC my copy arrived here at about the date announced, even some time before some of the U.S. Organissimo forumists had received theirs.
The only potential snag these days might be that it happens increasingly often that the (paperback/softcover) books are actually print-on-demand books. So even the PRINTING occurs here in Europe. On the one hand this should speed up delivery (it actually did in several cases), on the other there might be worries about printing and binding quality (I haven't had any problems in recent times, but "one never knows, do one?"  - and I'd hate to se this happen for the first time in years with THIS book ). What worries there are may be due to the fact that this printing on demand can occur almost anywhere around here. My US-published books bought via Amazon in very recent years have been printed in Germany, the UK, Poland and France - randomly with no detectable reason of why which book is printed where. So if it is going to be print on demand this time you just don't know where it will be handled this time.
But of course if what I ordered and am set to receive is a hardcover after all (the amazon site does not look like it, though) this might change things about the actual delivery date. (Because I don't think Amazon does print-on-demand for hardcovers.) But even there I cannot remember any complaints about unduly delayed deliveries for brand-new books in the past. I'll keep my fingers crossed it's not going to be a "first" now. 

List price at amazon.de is similar to what you quote for amazon France; my guaranteed preorder price was 49 EUR plus some cents. 

Edited 5 hours ago by Big Beat Steve

[ghost of miles]

Looking forward to it whenever it appears! I still have it on pre-order.