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SHOUT! FACTORY HONORS
BETHLEHEM RECORDS, THE HOLY GRAIL OF JAZZ
Meticulous Campaign To Reissue Bethlehem
Treasures Begins August 2nd
With Releases From John Coltrane, Duke Ellington And Charles
Mingus
LOS ANGELES, CA --- Shout! Factory announces
a new campaign to release select recordings from the treasured
Bethlehem Records archive. With the completion of an exclusive
licensing deal, Shout! Factory will immediately begin issuing
remastered recordings from the vintage jazz label this summer,
beginning with collections from John Coltrane, Duke Ellington
and Charles Mingus, all in stores on August 2nd.
Formed in 1953 in New York City by Gustav Wildi, Bethlehem
Records quickly made its mark as a jazz label whose roster
featured some of the most talented artists in the genre,
including Nina Simone, Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann, Benny
Carter, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Roland Kirk and Bobby
Troup. Led by Musical Director Sy Oliver and A&R gurus
Lee Kraft and Creed Taylor, Bethlehem flourished during
the golden age of jazz, and was fiercely dedicated to uncovering
the best it had to offer. Their impeccable taste led them
to virtually discover both Nina Simone and Herbie Mann,
releasing the first several albums of their careers.
In 1960, the company was sold to King Records, who put
an end to its run in the jazz world making copies of Bethlehem
albums increasingly rare and difficult to find. In the '70s
and '80s, UK based Affinity Records reissued a smattering
on vinyl, and in the early '90s, Evidence Records distributed
some remastered Bethlehem albums in CD format. For the first
time ever, a comprehensive campaign is planned to remaster
and reissue choice albums and compilations from the Bethlehem
catalog. In addition to the titles set for release on August
2nd, albums by Dexter Gordon and Mel Torme, a second Charles
Mingus album, and George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess
will follow later this year.
