The Prestige Records Story [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Along with Blue Note, Verve, and Riverside, Prestige was one of the most significant independent jazz labels of the '50s and '60s. It was especially important in the '50s, recording the decade's greatest figures--including Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane--long before the major labels would beckon. This four-CD set traces the label from its founding by Bob Weinstock in 1949 until 1971 when it was sold to Fantasy.

The first two CDs in the collection take the music up to 1960, and they brim with superb tracks that demonstrate the label's depth, range, and vision, with performances by Monk, Lennie Tristano, and Gil Evans that sound as quirky and inspired as when they were recorded. Miles Davis was clearly the label's most significant artist until he left for Columbia in 1956; his work here ranges from the sparse and extended "Bags' Groove," with Monk and Milt Jackson, to hard-bitten bop. There's room here for the cool lyricism of Stan Getz on "Round Midnight" and the early Modern Jazz Quartet's beautiful "Django," as well as Rollins's hard-edged calypso, "St. Thomas," and Coltrane's brilliant, forward-looking contribution to Tadd Dameron's "On a Misty Night." Prestige also managed to have a few surprise hit vocals in the period, and it's terrific to have a disc that matches Wardell Gray's original "Twisted" and James Moody's "I'm in the Mood for Love," with Annie Ross's and King Pleasure's joyous, vocalise transformations.

As the set continues its chronological journey through the label's history after 1960, however, it takes an unusual turn. Prestige was remarkably diverse in the early '60s, with separate sublabels like New Jazz, Swingville, Moodsville, and Soulville to cover different genres, spanning the classic swing piano of Claude Hopkins and the atonal experiments of Don Ellis. It had an extensive, and excellent, blues catalogue and even released an LP of Norman Mailer's poetry. In this set's view of Prestige's history, however, that range gets very little attention, with the reissue producers favoring stylistic consistency over diversity. While there are nods to swing (Coleman Hawkins), the avant-garde (Eric Dolphy), and classic bop (Dexter Gordon), the set emphasizes the tenor-organ-guitar funk bands that were the label's commercial mainstay in its final active decade. That's not to argue with the quality of what's here, though. Gene Ammons's "Ca' Purange" is as potent as soul-jazz ever got, and there's much heartfelt, gritty music that communicates immediately.

It may simply be that the project required more discs (see The Blue Note Years) than this set includes, but the cumulative effect is schizophrenic, moving from the musically adventurous to the populist. Meanwhile, the first two discs provide as rich a view of jazz in 1950s New York as any single label could hope to provide (only Blue Note might hope to match it); they're an essential experience for listeners new to jazz or the period, while disc 4 may serve handily as exalted party music. --Stuart Broomer

The Prestige Records Story, Music, Various Artists, Avant-Garde Jazz, Bop, Box Sets (Audio Only), Cool, Folk & Traditional, Free Jazz, Fusion, Hard Bop, Jazz, Jazz Blues, Jazz Collections, Jazz Music, Jazz-Funk, Jump Blues, Mainstream Jazz, Modal Music, Pop, Post-Bop, R&B, Soul-Jazz, Standards, Swing, Vocal Jazz, Vocalese, West Coast Jazz
The Prestige Records Story
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    		The Prestige Records Story
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: Prestige
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. The Riverside Records Story

    ASIN: B00000JQKR
    Release Date: 1999-09-28

    Tracks:

    1. Subconcious-Lee - Lee Konitz/Lennie Tristano
    2. Four And One Moore - Stan Getz/Zoot Sims/Al Cohn/Allen Eager/Brew Moore
    3. Twisted - Wardell Gray
    4. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm - Sonny Stitt
    5. Blues Up And Down - Gene Ammons
    6. I'm In The Mood for Love (Aka Moody's Mood For Love - James Moody
    7. Moody's Mood For Love (Aka I'm In The Mood For Love) - King Pleasure
    8. Twisted - Annie Ross
    9. Dig - Miles Davis
    10. 'Round Midnight - Jimmy Raney/Stan Getz
    11. The Serpent's Tooth (Take 1) - Miles Davis
    12. Blue Monk - Thelonious Monk
    13. Bags' Groove (Take 2) - Miles Davis
    14. My Funny Valentine - Milt Jackson
    15. Doxy - Miles Davis
    16. Django - The Modern Jazz Quartet

    Tracks:

    1. Disappointed - James Moody
    2. Walkin' - Miles Davis Sextet
    3. St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins
    4. Pent-Up House - Sonny Rollins
    5. Well, You Needn't - Miles Davis Quintet
    6. On A Misty Night - Tadd Dameron
    7. If I Were A Bell - Red Garland
    8. Nobody's Heart - Gil Evans
    9. Russian Lullaby - John Coltrane
    10. In The Kitchen - Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis

    Tracks:

    1. Canadian Sunset - Gene Ammons
    2. Trouble Is A Man - Coleman Hawkins
    3. Very Saxy - Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis/Coleman Hawkins/Arnett Cobb/Buddy Tate
    4. The Seventh Son - Mose Allison
    5. G.W. - Eric Dolphy
    6. Kirk's Work - Roland Kirk
    7. Soul Street - Oliver Nelson/King Curtis/Jimmy Forrest
    8. Don't Go To Strangers - Etta Jones
    9. Hip Soul - Shirley Scott
    10. This'll Get To Ya - Willis Jackson
    11. Rock Candy - Jack McDuff
    12. Troubled Times - Willis Jackson

    Tracks:

    1. Ca'Purange (Jungle Soul) - Gene Ammons
    2. Sweet Alice Blues - George Benson
    3. Misty - Richard 'Groove' Holmes
    4. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Illinois Jacquet
    5. Smile - Sonny Criss
    6. Fried Bananas - Dexter Gordon
    7. Jamilah - Houston Person
    8. Jungle Strut - Gene Ammons
    9. More Today Than Yesterday - Charles Earland
    10. Sould Liberation - Rusty Bryant
    11. No Way - Boogaloo Joe Jones
    12. You Talk That Talk - Gene Ammons

    Amazon.com

    Along with Blue Note, Verve, and Riverside, Prestige was one of the most significant independent jazz labels of the '50s and '60s. It was especially important in the '50s, recording the decade's greatest figures--including Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane--long before the major labels would beckon. This four-CD set traces the label from its founding by Bob Weinstock in 1949 until 1971 when it was sold to Fantasy.

    The first two CDs in the collection take the music up to 1960, and they brim with superb tracks that demonstrate the label's depth, range, and vision, with performances by Monk, Lennie Tristano, and Gil Evans that sound as quirky and inspired as when they were recorded. Miles Davis was clearly the label's most significant artist until he left for Columbia in 1956; his work here ranges from the sparse and extended "Bags' Groove," with Monk and Milt Jackson, to hard-bitten bop. There's room here for the cool lyricism of Stan Getz on "Round Midnight" and the early Modern Jazz Quartet's beautiful "Django," as well as Rollins's hard-edged calypso, "St. Thomas," and Coltrane's brilliant, forward-looking contribution to Tadd Dameron's "On a Misty Night." Prestige also managed to have a few surprise hit vocals in the period, and it's terrific to have a disc that matches Wardell Gray's original "Twisted" and James Moody's "I'm in the Mood for Love," with Annie Ross's and King Pleasure's joyous, vocalise transformations.

    As the set continues its chronological journey through the label's history after 1960, however, it takes an unusual turn. Prestige was remarkably diverse in the early '60s, with separate sublabels like New Jazz, Swingville, Moodsville, and Soulville to cover different genres, spanning the classic swing piano of Claude Hopkins and the atonal experiments of Don Ellis. It had an extensive, and excellent, blues catalogue and even released an LP of Norman Mailer's poetry. In this set's view of Prestige's history, however, that range gets very little attention, with the reissue producers favoring stylistic consistency over diversity. While there are nods to swing (Coleman Hawkins), the avant-garde (Eric Dolphy), and classic bop (Dexter Gordon), the set emphasizes the tenor-organ-guitar funk bands that were the label's commercial mainstay in its final active decade. That's not to argue with the quality of what's here, though. Gene Ammons's "Ca' Purange" is as potent as soul-jazz ever got, and there's much heartfelt, gritty music that communicates immediately.

    It may simply be that the project required more discs (see The Blue Note Years) than this set includes, but the cumulative effect is schizophrenic, moving from the musically adventurous to the populist. Meanwhile, the first two discs provide as rich a view of jazz in 1950s New York as any single label could hope to provide (only Blue Note might hope to match it); they're an essential experience for listeners new to jazz or the period, while disc 4 may serve handily as exalted party music. --Stuart Broomer

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