Guide to Impulse! Records (Jazz Label Guide No. 2; Episode 300)

The series of videos focusing on individual jazz record labels continues with a second instalment. In this episode Allan discusses Impulse! the label at the forefront of jazz from 1961 to the mid-1970s, known as The House That Trane Built.
Marc Myers’ blog JazzWax can be found here: www.jazzwax.com/
Ashley Kahn's book, The House That Trane Built, is published by Norton and can be purchased here: www.amazon.ca/House-That-Trane-Built-Impulse/dp/0393330710
The DownBeat archive is here: worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/DownBeat/
Bob Thiele's autobiography, What A Wonderful World, is publsihed by OUP and can be purchased here: www.amazon.com/What-Wonderful-World-Lifetime-Recordings/dp/0195086295
My interviews with Ed Michel are here (part 1): kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2nYeqipjtaahdU
and here (part 2): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJyToKuhl9d9mas
The video with Nathaniel Ahart and Johnny Radio can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHq9lGijeamWaLM.
Nathaniel's channel is here: kzbin.info
Johnny Radio's channel is here: kzbin.info

[@tudormiller887]

A Love Supreme is the only album on Impulse! that I own in my collection, which are mainly Blue Note albums. After watching your video, I'll check out some other albums on the Impulse! label. Thanks! 👍

[@BigBlueMoon-u2w]

Great channel, exceptional videos. Hoping for many more. Thank you Allan!!!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you very much Isaac. I’m glad you enjoy the channel.

[@davidbryanbartlett4071]

One of the GREAT labels

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Can’t disagree :-)

[@ShivasIrons22]

Enjoying these very well done label overviews. I guess you don’t have a copy, but hard to tell the Impulse story without mentioning "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady." Certainly a high point for the label.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I do actually, and you’re right it’s a terrific record. Though Mingus was not with the label that long, so sadly that ended up being left out.

[@Claus-CaptainPhoenixCorner]

Thanks for another great video. You not only present records that I’ll start looking for but also provide knowledge that put my (not that many) Impulse! records into context 👍 Congratulation with the 300 video anniversary.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. And thanks. It’s been a journey!

[@marksheargold5536]

Loved it. I’ll look forward to where you go next with your label guides. Thanks 👍🏻

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks Mark. Open to suggestions.

[@jeffreysobczynski7113]

Ok I love Impulse - such a breadth of jazz styles and artists. But … if I had to pick a single jazz label it would be Blue Note, hands down. Great series on the labels! 11:33

[@xentakis]

I love these label guides, fantastic work!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you!

[@EarslimeRecords619]

Great videos and history !

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you like them!

[@davidbaldwin5789]

Another great video. Loving this series!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Pleased to hear that! they are a little more labour intensive than the others. :-)

[@waxwiresnwaves]

really great video, thank you

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Very glad you enjoyed it.

[@dbugatto]

Another solid & informative vid , thanks!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you liked it!

[@tonycord-growthexitadvisor]

Congratulations on #300. Another thoroughly informative episode - really enhances my enjoyment of the hobby. Thanks Allan!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

My pleasure, and very glad you enjoyed it.

[@Markymarkvinylnut]

Another superb video Alan, many thanks. Stay cool (good weather for a Laphroaig!)

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

A caipirinha is my summertime jam.

[@johng.4711]

Great video!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ginovairo6487]

Great episode Allan. It’s very useful to get an overview and backstory of Impulse as a new Jazz lover. I have a few of the more recent Analog Productions reissues which sound pretty great to me, but one of my favourite Impulse records is Colatrane’s Live at Birdland which is an original pressing. Looking forward to the next label guide.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks - and I am certainly not immune to the siren song of the new AP releases. I have Ballads and Coltrane/Hartman, both of which I think are remarkable in every way and frankly well worth the money.

[@AccumulatedGestures]

I stumbled upon this video doing a Google search for Impulse! Records hoping someone had made something new, and I have to say this is by far the best video about the label on KZbin. I'm currently in the process of collecting the entire run from A-1 to A-9200 (plus a highlights selection from A-9201 to today) so I'm always interested to hear what others think of the Impulse! discography. A lot of what you said is very similar to my own thoughts about the label. Although I've divided up the types of Impulse! releases into more categories, I broadly agree with your three buckets and I totally agree that if you told me I could only have one jazz label to listen to for the rest of my life I would 100% choose Impulse! as that sheer variety of styles represented means you'd never get bored, whereas Blue Note made a variation of the same album 200 or so times. I've since watch a few of your other videos and you have some excellent content. You really deserve more views tbh

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the kind words. I have been resisting becoming an Impulse completist - or at least, a completist along the lines that you are pursuing as my interest after 1972 is very selective - but it’s a losing battle I fear. As you say, the eclectic nature of the catalogue combined with the baseline of quality is what sets it apart.

[@Markymarkvinylnut]

Hi Alan, I was wondering if you could do a review of 'Pablo records' sometime? I'm increasingly finding fabulous jazz records here in the UK from this label and I reckon they are on a parr with impulse, bluenote etc.. thanks again and look forward to your next video!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

An interesting label. I probably have too few to do a proper job of that one. If I recall correctly it was Norman Granz’s attempt to get the band back together, as it were, in the 1970s, so a lot of Gillespie, Ella etc in their later years and Peterson of course. Some real gems in there! But that era of those artists hasn’t really been a collecting focus for me.

[@andrewmacdonald9382]

Good work! Well researched and confidently presented as expected. Wondering what is next? I guess this may be driven by what's your collection? Seeing as Creed Taylor has featured maybe it's time for Bethlehem. Contemporary or Argo are labels I'd like to hear more about too.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I’m a bit torn. I’m digging into the west coast labels atm in my own collecting. Though I feel I ought to cover the big boys first, so Blue Note, Columbia and Atlantic beckon. The difficulty is while I like the product on those labels I’m less fascinated by them as ventures. Blue Note locked into a “thing” for the better part of two decades until the principal architects faded away, with a hit and miss era at the tail end. And Columbia is a big machine. So who knows, maybe Atlantic? Or Prestige, or Riverside… sigh. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

[@andrewmacdonald9382]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews Indeed a marathon! Riverside would be a good choice as I've always been fascinated by the financial ineptitude of Bill Grauer and the excellent productions of Orrin Keepnews. Be nice to have the full story.

[@dallaskenn]

3:45 Beg to differ; BLUE NOTE!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

:-) to each their own!

[@dallaskenn]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews Sort of figured you'd see it that way.

[@COLLYD420]

I love your channel but your chair is so insanely annoying. 😂

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@COLLYD420 You’ll be delighted when you arrive at Episode 363, then.