Guide to Prestige Records (Jazz Label Guide No. 6; Episode 362)

[@alanfair4415]

I'm always astonished by the dismissal of Clarence Beeks, King Pleasure. For my money and my romantic proclivities King Pleasure is a poet of jazz, an interpreter and transformer of some of the great bop tunes into cri de coeur, even his transformation of the railroad porter, Red Top, when listened to reveals the potential of the unconscious of a jazz tune. All of his albums demand attention. Keep up your wonderful work. Peace

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I confess that he is still largely a little-known quantity to me. And I’ve been feeling for some time that I need to correct that!

[@Raypirri]

Yet another fabulously informative and succinct video, Alan. Nobody on the net is doing such detailed presentations without meandering or losing focus. Man you are on fire! Dig Jazz! Cheers (with a single malt) from Oz🥃

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Cheers back at you Bruce 🥃, and thanks. Though I suspect my kids would suggest that I’ve still got meandering and loss-of-focus in my locker 😀.

[@goldthredz]

I consider this series to be essential. Thank you for this informative video!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Beb0ptrane]

Im new to jazz and this video series are full of nuggets to be pick up by noobs like me. Thanks for taking time in building this very educational videos.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I'm glad you enjoy them. Thanks for watching.

[@rsyalom]

I love the Tiny Grimes on Swingville! Also there are a couple great two-fers double albums from the early 60's on Blue Trident that are superb...if they are recycled vinyl free. All with RVG stamps.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks for the info!

[@scratchedvinyl8462]

Outstanding video -- thanks for creating! I have just discovered your channel and I am now working my through them all. I'm shocked I didnt discover you sooner!! Thanks again.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@scratchedvinyl8462 Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@jjlopez5764]

Brilliant! Thank you, this is an exceptional dive into the label!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

You're very welcome!

[@trevorbartram5473]

You are a great influencer. From my time on the Steve Hoffman music forum I seem to remember there are two types of 80s OJC LP re-releases, analog or digital sourced. As this was early digital preparing for CD release, the analog sourced LPs are preferred by audiophiles. There must be a list somewhere on the internet of each type? While I have hundreds of OJC CDs, my greatest recent Prestige find is Kenny Burrell's Soul Call, fabulous music & sound. It was also re-released as a JVC XRCD, that's always a clue to good sound quality. Cheers!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

There probably is a list. I think - though @mortofon can probably confirm - that OJCs 1 through 100 are generally considered to be the finest. Roughly the ‘83-‘85 releases.

[@Dbriskit]

Another great entry in your catalogue mate - one of the best channels on here. Jazz History. Vinyl. Cardigans. Fire!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks very much. Dress for success!

[@damianlopez-gaston2466]

Outstanding video. The first of yours I've found. Seeing the content of your channel, subscribed right away. Looking forward to exploring. Thank you for the excellent work here.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad to have made a good first impression, and thanks very much for the kind words. Welcome aboard.

[@ShivasIrons22]

Really like these. Was great to see a new one pop into my recommendations this morning.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you like them! Thanks very much for watching.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

ERRATA: - Weinstock's address as a teenager is actually on W 83rd, not "W 8rd", wherever that is. - The fireworks label *predates* Van Gelder's involvement, rather than following. - The example of the Konitz/Tristano record shown, NJLP 101, is a 1952 Prestige reissue (with a blue label) of the original New Jazz yellow label release. This is the original: www.discogs.com/release/7445898-Lee-Konitz-Quintet-Lennie-Tristano-Quintet-Lee-Konitz-Quintet-Lennie-Tristano-Quintet. - @ 00:12:39, I mis-spoke; of course, Miles actually signed for *Columbia* in the mid 1950s.

[@gigsfunk]

Great episode mate, learnt so much ✌🏻big shoutout to the cardigan 😂

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Doing what I can :-)

[@Claus-CaptainPhoenixCorner]

T H A N K S. This might be your most informative video yet - and you must have put a lot of time an research into it. Most appreciated and I learned a lot. Oh - and I love things like “Nothing should be electronicaly reprocessed - not your food and certainly not your 1950’s Prestige jazz” 😅 Thanks again Allan 👍

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks - and you are what you eat!

[@norrieclark5217]

Excellent stuff Allan very informative. Most of my Prestige collection are the 80's OJC's which I'm more than happy with plus a few French "Carrere" distributed Prestige reissues that find there way to used stores in the UK and are pretty much on par with OJC's. Keep up the good work.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you. That’s good to know: don’t think I’ve come across any of those releases before.

[@theweinbar8761]

I really appreciate your channel and especially this episode

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

I’m glad, and thank you. This one was enjoyable to do.

[@adamcollins6882]

Thank you so much. Very educational. Adam.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bendowling8281]

These label guides are fantastic thank you so much 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Glad you like them - thanks for watching.

[@Drforrester31]

Great video again, Weinstock sounds like a very interesting if slightly sketchy guy. I've only got six Prestige records, I would probably have more if not for the fact so many feature organ, which is generally a dealbreaker for me. It seems my favorites all feature Tommy Flanagan on piano (Boss Tenor, Flute Soufflé, an OJC Kenny Burrell self-titled), so now the first thing I look for on a Prestige I find in a crate is if there's piano and who's playing. Thankfully the credits are easy to find/read

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks. He is one of the great characters of 20th jazz, about whom almost no one is neutral (for good reason). As for organ-led jazz, I don’t mind it in small doses, and really like the funkier 70s stuff. In the early days one of the things which puts me off is that usually an organ combo will dispense with a bass player, and the bass is perhaps my favourite instrument in all of jazz. I rarely find that an organ bass line provides the band with a complete sound.

[@Drforrester31]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews That's a great point about no bass player on albums with organ, the couple that I do like (Street of Dreams, Let 'Em Roll) are very light on the bottom end. Recently though I heard Lou Donaldson's record Natural Soul and John Patton's organ is absolutely thunderous in a way I've never heard, they had to have tried something new when recording

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Interesting. Must investigate.

[@dbugatto]

Another excellent video , nicely done .

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback.

[@trevorbartram5473]

Of the LPs you showed that were new to me, the big surprise was Jackie McLean Lights Out!. I'm not a big Jackie McLean fan but this early Prestige/RVG was recorded quietly (lack of compressors & there's tape hiss) with a great drum sound with unfortunately, a too quiet piano. McLean is subdued too & his superb sidemen are allowed prominence. The Allmusic guide gives this album a mediocre review, that's why I've avoided it previously but I think it's great. Thanks!

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

AllMusic is generally helpful when it comes to the text reviews, but the numerical scores are often wildly off in my experience.

[@bacarandii]

Thank you for doing some more informative "crate digging." Blue Note has become a kind of fetish object that gets all the attention from "collectors" these days, but I sometimes get the impression that it's become the jazz label for people who only know about Blue Note. It's almost become generic for a certain kind of attitude, an indisputably great label and a worthy entry point, but -- like, say, the recent reissues of the Beatles' "Red" and "Blue" albums -- it's only one facet of the music of its time, a sample of some highlights, and by no means the whole story. Having recently read hefty biographies of Monk and Sonny Rollins, I found myself revisiting my Prestige records with an enhanced level of appreciation -- for the music, if not for the circumstances under which it was recorded. Also: I kinda like the Prestige spiral logo on the cover of some my Booker Ervin and Shirley Scott/Stanley Turrentine records -- like the one on your copy of "Dakar." I don't know the story behind that one. (Speaking of graphics: Red Garland's "Groovy" has one of my favorite album covers. I have a framed copy on the wall near my living room turntable. Because it's groovy. I also made a t-shirt out of it -- and another of the artwork for Miles' "Cookin'." That's as deep into fashion as I get.)

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Must confess, I am still ignorant of the story of the spiral logo - when it begins, when it ceases, why it was introduced in the first place. There is precious little information to be found about that and if you have a line on some detail, please do add it here.

[@johnkreutz3207]

Excellent

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@robertguyer6503]

Great job. Must have taken a lot of research on your part.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Thanks very much. Yes and no. On the one hand, I don’t do one of these until I have formed my own opinions about the label in general, over time. On the other hand, when it comes time to make the video, I suddenly realize what I don’t know!

[@oldestgamer]

Would have been nice to have added the "two-fers" that have a lot of the Prestige recordings on them. I have noted that some have RVG, and some have not, what would be your recommendations on these?

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Must confess I have no experience of those, though I’ve seen them for sale here and there. What are your thoughts?

[@oldestgamer]

@@TenMinuteRecordReviews You noted that there were reissues which did not use the RVG plates, and are thus inferior to the originals (RVG), which makes sense. The two-fers are a mixed bag, as some are complete reissues on the lime-green label with RVG in the deadwax, and can be had for very little money (

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@oldestgamer that’s a great idea. I’m somewhat limited by having none! as I usually try to speak from first hand experience. But I can definitely see adding this to a second instalment of Jazz Under The Radar. Thanks!

[@tudormiller887]

I'm a newbie to the genre of Jazz. Which other labels was Miles Davis on other than Blue Note, Columbia & Prestige ? Watching in 🇬🇧

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

@@tudormiller887 In general, that’s basically it, and the Blue Notes are very few relative to the Prestige and Columbia releases. Essentially it’s Prestige for the hard bop stuff, Columbia for the modal and electric releases… and everything else it’s bits and pieces, live dates, or one-off releases.

[@jmiguelsimpkins]

He was on Savoy, Capitol, & the last label he was on was Warner Brothers

[@willieluncheonette5843]

Prestige did a poor job promoting the three albums Thelonious Monk recorded for them. The trio album, the quintet album and the one with Sonny Rollins. Not taking anything away from the music. All are really excellent but overlooked because they were sandwiched between the Blue Notes and the Riversides. They stand up very well today in his overall career.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Never have heard those other two. Sounds like I need to!

[@vinylarchaeologist]

Weinstock really milked those last Miles records he did, making sure to capitalise on Miles’s new-found fame on Columbia. In fact, Cookin’ came out in July 1957, AFTER Miles’s first Columbia record had already come out. Relaxin’ came out in spring of 1958, Workin’ came out as late as January 1960 (after Kind of Blue), and Steamin’ in July or August 1961 - the latter 5 years after it had been recorded.

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

He was a milker! even worse with Trane (a DOZEN records after he left).

[@David-uh8bx]

Jazz Organ is an oxymoron

[@TenMinuteRecordReviews]

Hahaha. Careful, there are organ fans in these parts.

[@David-uh8bx]

Thanks for your reply. I know that there are people that like the organ in a jazz context, but for me the Hammond organ is a unflexable and cumbersome instrument that just does not swing. Johnny Hodges is my favorite jazz musician, but don’t have any of the albums he recorded with Wild Bill Davis in my collection.

[@EdOConnor]

I’m not a big organ fan either, but Larry Young has a few on New Jazz / Prestige which I enjoy, e.g., Young Blues.