Friday, March 26, 2010

Psssst! Get your red hot copy of "Sandhog"

1 New Faces of 1956: What Does That Dream Mean? - entire company
2 New Faces of 1956: Rouge / Matt Dubey & Sid Silvers - Jane Connell
3 New Faces of 1956: A Doll's House / Arthur Siegel - Inga Swenson
4 New Faces of 1956: The Washingtons Are Doing OK / Michael Brown - Tiger Haynes
5 New Faces of 1956: Girls n Girls n Girls / Irvin Graham - John Reardon, Inga Swenson
6 New Faces of 1956: I Could Love Him / Paul Nassau - ?
7 New Faces of 1956: A Broken Kimona / Robert - ?
8 New Faces of 1956: She's Got Everything / Dean Fuller & John Rox - T.C. Jones
9 A Mother's Kisses: There Goes My Life / Kenny Chesney - Bea Arthur
10 I Do! I Do!: Thousands of Flowers / Harvey Schmidt - Mary Matin, Robert Preston
11 Carnival in Flanders: Here's the Rainy Day / Jimmy Van Heusen - Here's that Rainy Day
12 Molly: I See a Man / Jerry Livingston - Kaye Ballard
13 Molly: In the Afternoon of Our Years / Jerry Livingston - Kaye Ballard
14 Molly: Go in the Best of Health / Jerry Livingston - Kaye Ballard
15 Chicago: It / John Kander - Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon
16 High Button Shoes: Bird-Watchers Song / Jule Styne - Nanette Fabray

Available for download for the next 48 hours only. Sixteen cuts are all contained on two downloadable tracks. Yesterday, an incorrect recording was linked here. That is now corrected.

JJA (Jazz Journalists Association) Records, A Box Office Production. Inarguaby and extracategorically, JJA Records was the finest "unofficial" (that is to say, bootleg) label. . .ever. The sub-rosa outfit probably existed from sometime in the 1970s through the '80s. Where they obtained much of the material is anyone's guess. This particular JJA issue contained material that was recorded for various official original cast recordings but which, for whatever reason, never made the final cut. I remember buying my copies, from under the counter, from an applicance store on the north side of NYC's 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. I feel reasonably ceretain that this was the, um, headquarters for the record operation. The releases were distinguished by, for the most part, uncommonly good sound quality. . .considering the source. There was never any label art on any JJA issue with which I came into contact. All were strictly from the plain brown wrapper school of design with a affixed sticker describing the contents. There were dozens upon dozens of releases with emphasis on Broadway shows and film scores, but within those parameters the material partook of a great deal of jazz as well. I searched on the net for a complete JJA discography but couldn't find one. Seems like a good project for those among us who have some time on their hands. One can find a very small listing, however, on the web record dealer consortium http://www.gemm.com.  I am uncertain as to whether the operation ever made the transition to CDs. Nor do I have the foggiest noption what the Jazz Journalists Association was. Methinks, however, that it must have been an attempt at a quasi-official loophole to accord the label some legal wiggle room should the vinyl have hit the fan. I would be grateful for any information readers of this post be able to provide regarding JJA Records.

4 comments:

Buster said...

Another good one - I love this kind of material.

Bill Reed said...

Thanks! And stay tuned. There's a lot more where this came from.

Buster said...

Great music - but it isn't Forgotten Broadway. Seems to be Alec Wilder!

Bill Reed said...

Right you are my friend. Mistake rectified. FB is now FB. Wilder is for tomorrow.