Collector Questions
I’ve been waiting for the right moment to do this, and it has arrived. On another post, one of our readers poses a question for other collectors. I’m going to repeat the question here, and I’m going to continue to use this post to keep adding other questions. Hopefully, over time, we’ll be able to answer any question that may come up. Here’s the first question, from Jason:
“I have a Norgran-related question. I picked up a Norgran “disc jockey copy” (the words on the cover) at a yard sale. The label is black with the trumpet logo and is numbered DJ N-2. Based on the songs included, I’d date the lp between 1954-1956. Has anyone seen one of these before? I can’t find any info anywhere. Thanks.”
I don’t know the answer, but hopeful someone out there does. Please post a comment on this site if you have the answer.
Is this a 10-inch LP? Norgran 2 is The Dizzy Gillespie-Stan Getz Sextet. The tracks are It Don’t Mean A Thing, I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart, Exactly Like You, It’s The Talk of the Town. On my copy, it states clearly on the label that it’s The Dizzy Gillespie-Stan Getz Sextet. I also have a Clef/Verve/Norgran discography and don’t see any mention of a DJ N-2.
Not a 10-inch. It was included in a collection that the previous owner had bought from a radio station. The cover is alternating blue & white stripes. The trumpeter logo is up top and reads “Norgran Records disc jockey copy DJ N-2”.
Each side lists the songs, the lps they’re, the artists, the time, and a brief review.
Side 1: Through for the Night/Johnny Hodges; Can’t Get You Out of My Mind/Charlie Ventura; Rails/Dizzy Gillespie; Pretty Little Girl/Johnny Hodges; It Never Entered My Mind/Bud Powell; Tornado/Sonny Criss; The Beat/Tommy Turk; Take Six/The Six
Side 2: Symphony/Benny Carter; Down ‘n Adam/Lester Young; Many Miles Away/Kenny Drew; Deep Purple/Buddy De Franco; Too Marvelous for Words; Lester Young; Blue Prelude/Charlie Ventura; Sunny Side of the Street/Johnny Hodges; Seems Like You Just Don’t Care/Dizzy Gillespie
I have found a copy of DJ C-1 on Clef black label deep groove with a red and white cover, similar to what you describe. I also cannot find any listing for these DJ samplers in the Clef or Norgran discography. There is a DJ C-2 shown on Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/Various-Untitled/release/6188155 which is similar to what I have with different songs of course. Hard to tie this down to a year of release. Info on Clef labels is not specific to years. These must be very rare, although I found this at a thrift.