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I had to travel from Alaska to Manhattan for my daughter's wedding at the city clerk's office in New York. What a mad house in the clerk's office ,and my daughter and her husband were number 693. At least it was cheap, but she didn't come close the the $25 that my wife and I had to pay at the marriage commissioner's office in Anchorage, Alaska in 1975.
Anyway, after the ceremony, my son and I hit the record stores in Greenwich Village. I was actually disappointed in the stores in the Village compared to my visit there 24 years ago. The selection was real slim for jazz, and the prices were much higher. Because I am new to jazz, I was also a victim of the Scorpio re-releases at Bleecker Street Records. Thank goodness, I did find a new OJC copy of Bill Evans' "Live at Village Vanguard" in a small record store in Brooklyn where my daughter lives.
To be fair, we didn't have time to shop outside the Village except near my daughter's place in Brooklyn. However, my big treat after shopping was going to the late show at The Village Vanguard. We tried for the earlier show on standby basis, but we missed by two people. The door man suggested a club a couple blocks away, but a quick listen to the featured group including old man Lew Tabackin made us go back to the Village Vanguard for the late gig. We just got in on standby basis, and it was really a treat to be in this famous old club. What was even a greater treat was to hear such a fantastic group headed by saxophonist Javon Jackson. Jackson was so smooth whether playing fast or slow, and he had great sustain when he needed it. He also played with great dynamics, and he excellently shared
the solos with pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams, and drummer Willie Jones III. All the members were fantastic, and Manasia was never outshone by Jackson. The group got a standing ovation as well.
This was a treat I will probably never experience again, but I will never forget the wonderful feelings I had. It was fun imagining all the famous jazzmen and women who played on that stage in the 50s and 60s and the fantastic recordings that emerged.
Follow Ups:
you could drop in here sometime, David Shreve would like that and so would i. it seems there are innumerable record shops and a few good jazz spots.
...regards...tr
I never had a bad day there, but I never got mugged either, so... Growing up in the New York State sticks, I'd visit as often as I could usually to feed my jones at the Fulton street electronics stores and catch rock bands in the late 60's.
Nice trip! I'll be coming up to AK to see some bears, eagles, whales and salmon fishing again sometime soon (stuff not available in the 5 Bouroughs)
Yes, the Vanguard, Iridium, and others all have great music - great enough to (almost) ignore being stuffed in so tight you can't blink without disturbing your neighbors. Next time you come, do it when someone you like is at one of the Time Warner spaces. Dizzy's Coca-Cola club is my favorite - elegant, spacious, good sound, good drinks, and the cost is pretty much the same as the tiny joints.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
The hell with records - you can always find them somewhere at some time, but to hear
some live jazz in NYC, at the Vanguard at that- THAT can't be topped.
Congrats on a successful trip.
Oh, and on your daughter getting hitched!
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" - Michael McClure
and live a hell of a long way from New York.
Great story. Many of the great clubs are small and cramped and used to be so hazzy that you couldn't see 5 feet. Congrats. Can you or someone else explain a little more about "Srorpio" if you don't mind.
Tom Collins
better to do a search in the archives using the word scorpio. I couldn't really pick out the best post in the archives, and there are over 200. I haven't had a chance to play my four Scorpio LPs yet, so I cannot give you any personal experience. From what I read, quality control and sound quality are frequently inferior. My four records were $13 each brand new. Many people have said that they would rather purchase the CD due to the digital sourcing and mastering.
things to look for. The album jackets are deceiving, as they have no publishing information and look like the originals. In fact ,this is one way to identify a Scorpio release.
Another way to identify the Scorpio releases is the address on the back bottom of the jacket. It will say 304 Park Ave. South.
The most positive way to ID the Scorpios is to observe the "S" in the deadwax, but you have to break the seal to do that.
Concentric glossy and non-glossy rings from the outer edge of the label to the spindle hole.
Scorpios...ah, well. It's surprising to me how many of them I've managed to pick up over the years. The company didn't just press LPs for Blue Note; it also contracted with Atlantic, Rhino, BMG, and a host of small labels. I've got Scorpio pressings of Sun Ra albums, Pharoah Sanders albums, the Dap Kings, Lee Konitz...
I strongly suspect that the LP+CD Blue Note reissues were pressed by Scorpio. "Mastered by Capitol" in the deadwax but the matrix code begins with that familiar "S."
Scorpio LPs range from pretty good to downright awful. Their only virtue is that they're cheap.
___
The little old ladies wait in wild anticipation for the meetings of the Double-A-C-ASSN...
thanks hiatt. these sound like records sold by half-price books with a label called "wax time". about $13. they are mostly famous jazz records, expecially miles an brubeck. my understanding is that they are pressed overseas possibly in Italy and mastered from digital recordings, possibly even cds. i have bought a few brubecks that sounded pretty good and the well loved cannonball adderly, somethin else that is dog shit.
for that price, to get that music, if an original is $50 and up and the good reissues are $30 to $50 and up is a bargain even if it is not the same quality but decent, as these brubecks are. but when they are as bad as the addrely, then just a rip off.
Tom Collins
Great story, thanks for sharing!
I understand the club is not that large, true?
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan
and 45 feet long. The drummer is behind a short wall and only visible to the people along the left side of the room. The seating is very cramped, and my son and I sat on hard bar stools for 2 hours. There is a $30 cover charge and a one drink minimum. While I did get a little sore, I was usually too enthralled to care.
You can make reservations and even prepay online, instead of standing in the standby line like we did.
the joint somehow has good sound.
Scorpio, yech!
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