THE PRESTIGE PROFILES
SERIES
Prestige Records, launched and run by jazz
fan, collector, and record purveyor turned label owner and
producer Bob Weinstock, has a catalog of classic jazz recordings
that is second perhaps only to Blue Note in both quality
and quantity. Not only did Weinstock record artists whose
careers would later explode such as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins,
and John Coltrane, but also established artists such as
Coleman Hawkins and Red Garland, young musicians who created
a great deal of buzz, such as Jackie McLean and Eric Dolphy,
and blues and R&B-style artists like Lightnin’
Hopkins and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Starting
in 1958, the label spawned several subsidiaries, including
New Jazz (the original name of the Prestige label), Swingsville,
Moodsville, and Bluesville. In 1971 the label was sold to
Fantasy Records, who reissued many Prestige recordings under
their Original Jazz Classics (OJC) banner, which also included
reissues of other acquired labels, such as Riverside.
In 2005, Fantasy was acquired by Concord Records,
the largest independent jazz label left in the United States.
Some music fans were concerned over whether Concord would
keep much of the Prestige and OJC catalog in print, but
it appears that Concord has committed to doing so. In all
honesty, this had to be a huge part of the attractiveness
of the Fantasy label to Concord, although Fantasy has a
rich catalog of its own. As part of its commitment to the
label, Concord has recently reissued ten volumes of Prestige’s
“Best of “ series from several years ago, adding
to each release a “Prestige Profiles Collector’s
Edition” featuring artists who either play the same
instrument as the artist featured on the Profile disc or
whose music is stylistically similar to the featured artist.
Each bonus disc contains around 45 minutes of music in addition
to the hour or so on the main Profile disc. Each disc by
one of the featured artists has been 24 bit remastered,
and the sound quality is excellent, crisp and clean. Buyers
get all of this for $11.98 per disc, so it’s a phenomenal
value for anyone seeking an introduction to these artists
and their Prestige catalog, or for those who want to sample
some of an artist’s work without delving too deeply
into their catalog.
Read reviews of the individual releases, as
well as what's on the bonus disc included with each, or
buy by clicking on 'Review' or 'Buy' below.
