Collectible Jazz Vinyl Through the Years
I’ve been saving this note from Rich (DG Mono) with the idea that someday I would address his questions. That day is today:
“After reading your collecting stories, Al, it’s clear that you’ve been collecting since at least the ’70s. Relatively speaking, where are the biggest spikes in average value over the years? Is the biggest one in the past decade? If so, why do you think that is? eBay? A ‘rediscovery’ of vintage jazz vinyl? Also, when comparing the relative value of a Prestige vs. a Blue Note, do you feel those average proportions have changed, meaning do you think demand for Blue Notes has disproportionally increased in comparison to demand for jazz records on other labels?”
Indeed, Rich, I have been collecting since the ‘70s. 1970 to be precise. When I started out, I was just buying music I liked and didn’t think in terms of prices or value. I didn’t have much money anyway, so a lot of my shopping was in the bargain bins at Sam Goody’s. There came a point where I realized that a lot of the music I liked was out of print and not so readily available. My friend Dan was a jazz guitarist and had “discovered” the great Tal Farlow records from Norgran and Verve from the 1950s and was on a perpetual mission to find and accumulate each of these records. That led him into the world of collectible records, and I followed.I recall seeing auction lists from my friend Red Carraro in the early 1970s and being amazed that people would pay those kinds of prices — $100, $200 or even more – for a single jazz record. It was also eye-opening that the majority of his best customers came from overseas – predominantly Europe but increasingly from Japan. I would go into Dayton’s on 12th Street and Broadway and ask about collectible records, but the prices were always too high for my budget and sensibilities.
Anyway, the first spike in the market seemed to take place in the mid 1970s and early 1980s when Japanese collectors seemed to get very active and began driving up the price of collectible records, particularly the Blue Notes. I was never really a dealer/seller of records, so I’m not sure if this was the precise timing, but it was when I became aware of a change in the market. I also got the sense that the market slowed in the mid-1980s with the advent of CDs. Collectors weren’t sure if their vinyl would retain its value in the face of this new medium, and many were interested in replacing their records with this new format.
I think there have been two spikes so far in this century. The first was when eBay reached a tipping point and buyers and sellers realized that, for the first time, there was a viable international market. For sellers it meant they could reach any buyer anywhere in the world; for buyers it meant they could buy any record pretty much at any time, as long as they were willing to pay the market price. This created a big spike in the market because it created a brand new marketplace.
I’ve also seen a second spike in the market, which has taken place in the time frame during which I’ve been writing Jazz Collector, probably during the past 3-5 years. As people have become more knowledgeable of original pressings, they have realized that these are in limited supply. This seems to have created some kind of paradigm in which more people are willing to pay more money for the gems of the era. Or perhaps it is a smaller group of people willing to pay more money, but they are the ones driving the market.
I can’t really evaluate which of the spikes in the market has been the biggest. There was definitely a major shift in the 1970s and early 1980s when Japanese collectors set new pricing standards. That was profound because it set the foundation for today’s market. The two spikes in this century have also been significant and interesting to watch. The question I have is whether today’s prices are sustainable and/or whether they will continue to go up. Watching some recent auctions, such as the ones from Dr. Herb Wong and our friend bobdjukic, there seems to be a wave of new collectors, perhaps driving a spike in that value of certain records that, at one point even a couple of years ago, would not have been considered collectible. We’ll see if that is an aberration or a sign of things to come.
As for Blue Notes and Prestiges, yes, I’ve seen a growing disparity in the market. The value of original Blue Notes has continued to spike and, proportionally, the Prestige prices don’t seem to have kept up at the same pace.
Obviously, in doing this post, I’m hoping to spur some discussion in the community so, please, have at it. I’d be very curious, for example, to hear what Rudolf has to say, since he’s definitely been at it longer than me.
Very good topic for discussion, thanks for bringing it up. My $2.00 answer: Jazz is Art for the ears and follows the same trends and patterns as visual Art.
I started buying on eBay back in 2003 or so, and while prices were trending upwards, I felt that there were still good deals to be had. In particular, pictures were not very common and descriptions were weak. In order to feel good about buying something, I had to engage in alot of back and forth correspondence with the sellers. My gut tells me that this turned off many potential buyers, and most noticeably those who command of English was limited (presuming that the seller only spoke English). The eBay spike happened as Al said in the past 3-5 years, in part I believe driven by the abundance of multiple high resolution pictures and details which gave buyers greater comfort in knowing what they were bidding on.
Also there has been a great vinyl resurgence in the last 5 years so more players in the game is going to drive prices up.
I’ve been on eBay since 1998 and think there was a spike when ebay first started..suddenly rare records from across the globe were available..some big prices were achieved those first few years.
Great topic Al, as I have been a bit more active on eBay myself since the holidays trying to clear out some redundancies in my collection if only to make room for more LP’s ! In doing so, I find myself more obsessed with current market trends in order to figure out what “fair market” value night be on the LP’s I’ve been selling.
Personally, I think the we have another decade of continued growth before the paradigm shifts once again, and subsequent generations loose interest in what their grandparents / great grandparents collected / cherished / listened too. All one has to do is ask yourself if you still love the music from your grandparents or great grandparents era… Most of us still retain some affinity to the music of our parents and even grandparents before us. (Again, just a theory) but very few retain the legacy of music beyond two generations… This can be seen true of such genres as chamber music, classical, and opera as these companies struggle to survive each season. Closer to home, the shift towards more contemporary programming away from traditional Jazz has begun to dominate the current Jazz festival circuit in order to attract a financially viable audience as the once abundant patronage begin to dissipate.
Meanwhile the LP and the record player itself are once again in the midst of a second (or is it third or possibly fourth) golden age as shown by industry growth in turntable manufacturing, and the resurgence of the independent record store. All of which coincided with the advent of digitally downloaded music and subsequent global downsizing of multi-national music retail leaving a void, and a longing to reconnect to a more tangible music format for todays “Brooklyn Vegan” hipster generation.
…That being said, I predict the market for these collectibles will bottom out in the decades to come, as our grand-kids and great grand-kids begin to “pull the proverbial plug” on us and our beloved Jazz vinyl and flood the market or sadly the curbside with our once cherished vinyl. (For those of us lucky to still be around and not living in a home or on life support, let the “cherry-picking” begin !!!)
I think there’s a few factors at play: 1) Travel over the last 20 years has become a whole lot easier. There are so many stories of collectors who scour the globe for the records. Just look at Brazil and Africa and how those records go for big time money. Dudes went into cities and countries for months on end scouring city after city, chasing down leads for music.
2) Internet boom – with a click of a button I now have access to almost any record across the globe at any time. Doesn’t mean I can afford it, but the option is there! 🙂
3) Vinyl resurgence – this phenomena is bringing new purveyors of music and records to the table. this is a simple supply and demand. As more buyers enter the market, prices will go up accordingly…
Since the glory days of the 70’s and early 80’s auction lists from London’s late, lamented Mole Jazz, prices seem to have risen steadily for original pressings of “local” and American artists on Europe-only labels. The few Mole booklets that I managed to preserve are invaluable not only as swinging strolls down memory lane, but also as de facto catalogs of LPs that, in many instances, have otherwise been lost to history.
I can’t count the number of IMO’s — International Money Orders — that I sent dear Ed Dipple’s way over the years. Yet I can’t flip through his catalogs’ pages without repeated “if I knew then what I know now” laments.
For every “Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick” and “Chet is Back” and “Cleopatra’s Needle” and “What Happens? … ” that came my way, hundreds of rarities were missed — mostly out of ignorance, though often as a consequence of limited funds.
Ahh, to be young and not so foolish …
To Charles Drago: And rich?
One other thing…I think records that come from collectors like Dr. Wong will always fetch higher value. I’m the type of person that loves the story behind something I buy. When I recently purchased a collection from a local seattle drummer, it was the stories that his daughter told me of her remembering each record her dad played…or the story of a Detroit area DJ from the 1960s that I was able to pick from, it was his wife sitting by my side as I pulled a few records and seeing her eyes light up and tell stories of her husband playing records and them dancing all night…
I’m not just seeking records…I’m seeking an experience behind the record. I think we all are!
Jason: exactly!
my first shock as a young collector came when I noticed that some companies started to delete items from their catalogues. Or some kept them in their printed catalogues, but they were in fact unavailable.
The idea of scarcity got hold. We are talking early sixties.
In distress, I found people like Bob Altshuler who sold those deleted items at three to four times the original list price. I would give a short list of wanted items and they would supply what they could find.
Later the business was the other way around: sellers would send lists with fixed price items. The next step were the auction lists. We are now in the seventies.
During this period the record buying trips from Tokyo became frequent. And, consequently, the emphasis on labels, pressings, etc. Prices soared and people like Leon L. were riding high.
But internet changed it all. Never the offer has been that big and transparency so high.
I see a two-tier market, where NM quality/condition is the overriding price setter vs trash condition. And then, ridicilous as it is, Blue Note versus the rest. As if Blue Note recorded better music than the other quality labels. But it not the music anymore, it is the collection of cult objects. Blue Note is cult, so it is good to have it, show it and invest in it. As with any market, there may be slumps, or even, like the Dutch tulip onions boom in the 17th century, interest will disappear altogether. For a sound market a stable growth is important. Ever more buyers in a scarcer supply situation.
I started selling my double Prestige and Blue Note albums on internet in 2000 because I thought the prices to be high. Now I refrain from selling, waiting to see what happens. JC is the best tool for that.
Ah yes, Bob Altshuler. A veritable never ending treasure chest of “stuff.” Visits to his home were the source of legends and dwindling bank account
Is part of the Blue Note/Prestige value difference due to the number of initial pressings? Didn’t Prestige have higher pressing runs and distribution than Blue Note?
To Jay: I think the difference between Prestige and Blue Note comes down to vinyl quality (BN had high quality LPs, Prestige was known to use recycled vinyl) and rehearsal (BN paid for rehearsal time, Prestige did not).
I don’t see why the market will go down in the near future, because it is already being driven by only a very few # of buyers. It’s not as if there are millions of interested buyers which create the market. This has always been a niche collectors market, and so long as there are a few thousand, or few hundred, or even a few dozen buyers among the 7+ billion people in the world, someone is going to pay a premium for an already-scarce collectible, especially now that there is an easily-accessible international auction site. Now, will it be tulip-mania in the long-term, to use Rudolf’s example? No way to tell. But, in the short term, I don’t see any reason why the market will contract appreciably. Unfortunately.
I think the last five or so years have been really eye-opening (or eye-popping) in terms of the value and availability of certain records across the market. Jazz is not immune to this — even run-of-the-mill 1970s obscure avant-garde and post-bop jazz LPs are seeing an uptick — but the cost of psych, rural rock, post-punk/indie and even blue-chip pop albums has gotten insane. $40 Rumours all day around here, not to mention the steadily widening net of the $1,000 record rack.
To follow up, the bubble will likely burst on a lot of this stuff, but certain genres/titles/labels with a strong track record (pun not intended) will probably remain collectible.
What an interesting topic. I’m sure the rise in value of vintage records that we have seen over recent years can’t entirely be disentangled from (a) the emergence of a viable online marketplace, as noted by Al, (b) the global rise of a wealthy elite, and (c) the desire that elite has to find new ‘asset classes’ in which to invest/spend its money. That’s the rather boring economic or socio-economic explanation, I’m sure.
But add to that increasing scarcity, a generation of collectors who are now able to spend their retirement pots, pension funds, savings or whatever, and the underlying knowledge that these records are disappearing fast….and glossy, near mint, well-kept sixty year-old copies are no longer being made.
I think Al is right to identify the first spike as arising from largely Japanese collectors in the 1980s. Friends in the classic rock, prog and rock collectibles market also report a similar experience: that in the 1980s and early 1990s collectible labels for such music — Vertigo, Harvest, Island pink rim etc — were ‘hoovered’ up almost irrespective of the asking price by Japanese collectors and dealers.
And despite — or perhaps because — of the emergence of a global (online) market it is also the case that many dealers are simply not seeing the volume of decent vinyl coming into stock that they once did. And of course time never stands still. Even jazz on LP from the 70s, 80s and early 90s is now 25 to 45 years old, with some of it, while less collectible, probably around in qualities as small as some of the most cherished Blue Notes or Prestiges.
To Al:
Rich.
That’s rich.
A while back, Mole Jazz catalogs in hand, I did a rough calculation (“wild guess” seems more accurate) of what I would have had to spend to win 30 — just 30 — of the LPs that I had circled back in the day. I calculated an average price of 30 pounds. Those same records today, in contemporary dollars, likely would average $500 — perhaps significantly more. Thank God the catalogs are now buried in storage; the experience was getting more and more painful with each passing year.
Ethan: apparently you never saw or heard a pre-1958 Prestige album. You should now that re-cycled vinyl was used by Prestige only from 1960 on. You should compare things which are comparable. Re the rehearsal time: you are naively repeating this old story, as launched by Cuscuna for his Mosaic re-issue program of Blue Note.
Do you understand what you are really saying: rehearsal time (paid for for) would explain the higher value sixty years later of a second hand vinyl album. Come on, you cannot be serious.
Jay F: interesting observation. It is a pity that no reliable data are available. But quantities pressed could explain the phenomenon.
But I think the creation of the myth around Blue Note is the main reason for the price difference. People are told and believe many nonsensical things and this adds to the myth. It repeats itself and becomes a truth. People who invested heavily will do everything to perpetuate the myth. They have an interest to do so.
Hello everybody. A very interesting topic, thank you.
To Mr. Clifford: I live in Italy, I remember that until circa 1998 I bought records from professional dealers in Milan (Black Saint and Mr. Castelli), records were expensive because these sellers went to USA to buy directly from the most renowned sellers in America. The choice of titles was wide but many times I had to give up because of the prices requested. Then came the Ebay era, the Paypal era (payment are extremely easy) and the market went to important changes: the choice of titles was huge, the prices for many records were cheap, compared to those in the shops in Europe. It was like a new world for us! But at the same time collectors that often sold their records to professionals realised that they were able to sell directly on the web for more money, set sale disappeared and buying a collectible record at the vinyl fairs became very difficult. Better look on Ebay directly from home. Anyway I miss those travels around Europe looking boxes of horrible dirty records trying to find a good one!
I’m with Rudolf on the Prestige vs Blue Note price gap. Almost everyone who collects records has heard of Blue Note regardless of the music they collect (whether they could identify a 1st vs 5th pressing is doubtful but they know the label). Prestige on the other hand isn’t quite as much of a house hold name. I think that the build up of “Blue Note is THE jazz label” has turned into the idea that just because it was published by this label, the music is better and the sound is top notch. I admit i tend to lean this way sometimes myself. Just look at how many copies of the supposedly holy grail rare records go up for sale all the time. If you have the cash you could complete yourself an amazing holy grail collection in short order. Yet there are records on other labels i’ve been searching ebay forever without seeing. I truly believe it’s more myth then fact at this point (not that I don’t love my Blue Notes). Just my opinion.
Stefano — yes, I remember the Castelli auction catalogs and set lists. Wish I had kept them in my archive!
Clifford, I still have the Roberto Castelli booklet lists. I saw Roberto two days ago, we are good friends and he sold me a Mingus Bethlehem and an Ornette Coleman Contemporary. He told me that it is quite impossible to find nice collections to buy. If only I had bought back then those Sun Ra from his lists…
I received those lists from Roberto too back in the day; I placed a lot of bids but if memory serves correctly I won maybe 2% of the records I bid on..much like eBay these days!
Mark, Roberto sold a lot of records in Japan and in Italy, he told me that in those days no one in the world spent much money for good records as in these countries. In particular he observed that in Japan were avid collectors of piano led combos. He is on Ebay, his ID is auderesemper
yeah, it seems like he’s got less stuff nowadays but I still buy from him on eBay from time to time. I should ask if he has any catalogs left… fond memories! Please give him my best the next time you see him, Stefano.
Clifford, for sure, thank you! I will meet him next Saturday at the Milan Vinylmania Fair, I will ask for you about the catalogs: otherwise, if you like, I will try to make some copy for you.
I started buying used jazz records in the 90’s here in NYC and the supply seemed endless. Every record store, flea market and record show had large collections to browse through. What I didn’t realize at that time that it was a peak in the bubble of widow/estate collections from guys who were in their 70’s and 80’s. By now most of the guys who started buying lps as they were being released in the 1950’s have passed on so there are far fewer “Original Owner” collections still out there. I noticed that Dr. Herb Wong was 88 and his collection was extensive but even he had very few Lexington’s and 63rd St. originals.
To Rudolph: it may be a myth about rehearsal time but there must be some reason its persuasive. For me, the reason is that I tend to give Blue Note the edge in the sort of jazz I like, which means a lot of 60s stuff, some of it recorded without Alfred Lion at all. But when all things are more or less equal, between a Prestige title or a Blue Note, I have always tended towards the blue note. I own nearly equal parts of both labels, but I play my Blue Notes more. I may even play my Riversides more than Prestige. So forgetting all considerations of vinyl quality, maybe I just dont find the same standard of quality on both labels music wise, or maybe by some chance of fate Blue Note had more albums and players that I like to hear. Chances are, it doesn’t matter if the myth is true, its persuasiveness may very well rest in something actual.
To don-lucky
Interesting theory about the three generation lasting value, which is tru for at lot of things, but it does not hold when it comes to classical music as a universal art form, and the same is happening to the orginal golden age of jazz. And since it cannot be reproduced, as classical music, it will retain its value for the foreseeable future. However, looking outside music there is a widespread resurge of all things vintage, in part linked to furniture as art, but also linked to lifestyle changes against excessive consumption. That said, collecting will always excert a strange fascination on its own, no matter jow much we value authentic sound
Let me tell ya back in the day when all the rarest and most valuable blue notes were new ,the cats played the hell out of them! The n/m which cost $1000.00 now , have never been listened to a million times tryin to learn the magic in the grooves! Tell it like it is please!
Imho, what really made the Blue Note myth is Reid Miles – the way the cover communicate the spirit of the music. Blue Note is visual communication at its best. Other factors are secondary, because, for instance Van Gelder worked fot other labels… Put a Hank Mobley session out of a Reid Miles cover and it will not be as collectible…. Who cares about Mike Cuozzo, Dick Johnson or Harold Corbin nowadays ? They did fine sessions, that can easily rival Blue Note. I personnaly prefer listen to them as my Mobleys or Sonny Clark…But…Its not Blue Note. I don’t think the Blue Note madness will stop in the future. Blue Note albums are not rare, but the demand keep going strong. A myth is not a true story, but it is an historical fact.
The Blue Notes as a whole do seem to be a little prettier and have nicer art and sleeves than the prestige. Also the vinyl quality and sound does seem to be slightly better. I think that is a factor
Ethan: I am glad you repied to my mail ( which was maybe a bit harsh ), since you gave the reason for our different appreciation of the labels in question. The reason is, we are in a different decade. You are sixties, I am fifties. I don’t care for the repetitive, monotonous, harsh sounds of the sixties post bop. I have many of them, but all unplayed since I acquired them. But I readily admit that in its genre Blue Note was better than Prestige. Also in the sixties Prestige had low quality vinyl.
So, when I collected in the fifties, with discernment and a low budget, Blue Note hardly counted. It was just one of the players, with a narrow offer. The issue of Monk’s Brilliant Corners or Miles’ Cookin and Relaxin’ on Prestige were major events. None of the like on Blue Note, until 1595 Something Else. Still I had some, the Messengers in the Bohemia, J.R. Monterose , Herbie Nichols, the Mellé album, Rollins with J.J. and at the Village Vanguard, Cool Struttin’, Blue Trane and Something Else. With the beginning of the 4000-series my interest faded and yours began. Prestige had extensive cover of Rollins, Konitz, Elmo Hope, Gil Mellé, some Mobley too, Jimmy Raney, Gryce, Farmer, Phil Woods, Red Garland, etc, etc. In short Prestige was more all-round. And early Prestige was excellent quality, believe me.
First of all: my main interest is the music itself.I have been collecting for more than 50 years and I still do.Over the years I have seen how the market is changed.In the sixties Blue Note,to me,was just one of the many jazzlabels.It was imported from the US,and I bought whatever interested me music wise.The only thing that made Blue Note special was its uniqueness,as the music was (as far as I know)not issued on European labels.Almost all other American labels were at the time issued on European labels:Savoy-London,Atlantic-London,Pacific-Vogue,Prestige- Metronome or Esquire,Decca-Brunswick,Columbia-Philips,etc.,etc.In most cases the quality of these European issues is as good(or better) as the original US- pressings.In many cases they used the original cover design and sometimes they had alternate covers(Esquire,Barclay).They used high quality vinyl,wich is essential for the sound.
At this moment I am building up a “shadow-collection”.This means I am looking for mint copies of early European issues.You can still find them relatively cheap in shops and on record fairs.Once I find them,I sell the original.
I expect that these European issues will be the “new market”.It has already started wih the Japanese collectors.They buy all the Esquires for ridiculous prices!Wait and see!!
Yesterday I was bidding on Ebay :Esquire (Workin’ Miles) in mint condition. My bid was 100 dollar,I didn’t win,it went for 150.
Great topic. Still waiting for the “Definitive Guide to Pressing Quantities” to put some substance to our pseudo-economic theories. I personally think it is crazy we haven’t been able to collectively solve this question with all the brain power in this community. In a fit of desperation, I even tried to find any historical remnants of the Plastilyte factory in North Plainfield New Jersey, but alas no luck.
Prices have surely had a huge price increase over the years. I recall Leon Leavitt telling me (in the late 70s or early 80s) that his most valuable Prestige lp was OVERSEAS by Tommy Flannagan and it was selling in the $250 range in his auctions. There are also cases of lps on other labels either losing appeal over the years or just not appreciating in value that much. Examples would be lps like JAMMY RANEY VISITS PARIS on Dawn or HARD DRIVING JAZZ by Cecil Taylor. They were hot items in the eighties. Today they’re still nice items but they’ve lost much of their lustre and are now very reasonably priced. Also, as recently as the 1990s, you could find old jazz lps on a fairly regular basis at estate or garage sales. Today that market has dried up you just don’t see those same lps. Inflated prices are the result.
Last year I obtained Down Beat magazine starting 1948 till 1986 complete.Reading the record reviews of the 50’s and 60’s is an interesting experience.When you read it nowadays you can of course disagree with the ordeal of the writer,but it more or less brings you “back to earth”.It is a healing force in the extreme price-battle of this moment.
Kees: a top condition stereo copy of Kind of Blue on U.K. Fontana sold yesterday for $ 292.
Rudolf:
That is exactly what I mean.The European pressings are more and more sought after.I get requests from Japanese collector/dealers if I am prepared to sell my European stuff.The market is definitely changing.
That is exactly what I mean.The European pressings are more and more sought after.I get requests from Japanese collector/dealers if I am prepared to sell my European stuff.The market is definitely changing.
Rudolf: I think the value of of the Fontana Kind of Blue is going up because it is rarer than the American pressing. I’ve seen more white label promo’s of Kind of Blue than any other title. Columbia was a major label unlike Blue Note so they had more money to promote hot titles. It must of worked, if you enter Miles Kind of Blue on Popsike it comes up with 4635 items!! Not all 6-eye pressings but still…..
To Michel: There is validity to the Reid Miles work for Blue Note being a factor in the Blue Note/Prestige value difference, but I don’t think Van Gelder working for other labels can be considered a secondary factor. I would assert that Van Gelder working for other labels only adds to the mystery in the value difference. IMHO (and I’ll probably get jumped on for this) a Van Gelder Prestige 7000 series and a Van Gelder Blue Note 1500 series would be as close to an apples to apples comparison, at least in terms of the recording environment, and possibly some of those “ethereal” qualities of a recording session. I do wish there were some resource that cited pressing quantities, but apparently there is not. I was always under the impression that Prestige had a wider distribution market in the States, but that might just be myth as well.
Michel: Both Prestige and Blue Note used Reid Miles, as well as Tom Hannan. Prestige 7082 “Mobley’s 2nd Message” has a Reid Miles cover design. So your theory is not based on facts. There must be another reason: it is cult or myth, as you like it.
To Rudolf. Yes Reid Miles did a fantastic job for Prestige, too. One of my all time favourite jazz record cover is Ray Bryant Prestige 7098.
I agree with you : Prestige and Riverside catalogue in the 60, were more diverse musically speaking. More all around as you stated it.
So, there s no central explanation of the Blue Note myth. Or maybe one : Blue Note label is a sort of synthesis of everything we expect in jazz.
Michel: for me Blue Note is absolutely not the synthesis of everything I expect in jazz. On the contrary, it is representing a particular segment of the music, partly fed by Crow Jim sentiments and thus concentrating on music exclusively made by the Black proletariat of the East Coast. This is a fact with the departure of Gil Mellé as an exclusive Blue Note recording artist (BLP 1517). Mellé went to Prestige. The incidental presence of J.R. Monterose and Pepper Adams on later sessions does not invalidate my thesis.
The story of two immigrants, having fled from Berlin, recording the Black proletariat, fits in marvelously with prevailing politiquement correct mainstream thought. This is the beginning of the myth, re-inforced by the strong Crow Jim attitude of the Japanese and some Europeans. Then fully explored by Lourie and Cuscuna when promoting their Blue Note re-issue programs. Others jumped on the bandwagon too, the facsimile producers. All those people have vested interests for the myth to continue. The more expensive the originals become, the more facsimile productions they will sell.
For me Blue Note represents just one segment in jazz and a very valuable one. The three Thad Jones albums, the Herb Nichols, the Morgan vol. 3, the Mellé, J.R. are amongst my all time favourites. But there is so much more in jazz: Lee and Warne, Bill Evans, Twardzik, Bob Gordon, Jack Montrose, George Russell, Giuffre, Red Garland, Niehaus, Getz, Mal Waldron, Teddy Charles, Farmer/Gryce, Elmo Hope, etc etc. I cannot accept to be prisoner of a narrow ideology and the pensée unique. The world of jazz is too vast to be confined to one record label only.
Amen