On 1/26/2011 1:27 PM, Roger Kulp wrote:
> I have seen,and sold,other "Jazz Masterworks" 78 sets,but never the Bessie Smith. Probably would have kept one if I saw it.I have one of the earliest Lp issues,which I assume had the same cover as the last 78 issue.Is there someplace on the web that shows all the issues of this series?
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> Every "Jazz Masterworks" 78 I ever saw was a red label.
> Roger
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What you are talking about is the "Hot Jazz Classics" series started in 
1940 by George Avakian after CBS bought Columbia and started the popular 
red label series in 1939 and resumed the popular C album series in March 
1940 at C-11.  This is entirely different from the blue label 
Masterworks series that had the Bessie Smith memorial album in it from 
1937.  It turns out that there were two other Bessie Smith albums in the 
Hot Jazz Classics series, Vol 1 C-31 and Vol 2 C-142.  These have no 
relation to the Masterworks album which was still in print when C-31 
came out.  If your LP is a 12-inch, it is part of the series Avakian 
started in 1950 and is different from the three 78 albums.

There were 22 albums in the Hot Jazz Classics series and they are listed 
and detailed in Geoffrey Wheeler's excellent book "Collectors Guide To 
Jazz On Bootleg and Reissue 78 RPM Records 1932-1952".

Mike Biel  [log in to unmask]

> --- On Tue, 1/25/11, Michael Biel<[log in to unmask]>  wrote:
>
> From: Michael Biel<[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Columbia Masterworks 78rpm discography
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 6:23 PM
>
> On 1/25/2011 7:41 PM, Steven Smolian wrote:
>> I used to have the Bessie Smith album.  It came with no set number, Royal Blue.  I assume C-8 had the same content.
>>
>> Steve Smolian
> Are you sure they were Royal Blue or just blue Masterworks labels?  After all, the album came out in November 1937 after her death on Sept 26, 1937.  I've always described the numbering of these ten albums as being retroactive and inaccurate non-chronological.  Just looking at the record numbers I listed proves they were numbered after the fact.  None of these had set numbers when issued, on the album cover, on the labels, nor in the first catalog listings.  I think the numbering happened in 1939, and some later copies have set numbers on the labels.  The Bessie set remained in print long enough to have the trademark in the cover changed from the single circle to the double circle.  My ARSC presentation last year showed both of them.
>
> Mike BIel  [log in to unmask]
>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Biel"<[log in to unmask]>
>> To:<[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 7:06 PM
>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Columbia Masterworks 78rpm discography
>>
>>
>>> On 1/25/2011 3:58 PM, Robert J Hodge wrote:
>>>> Columbia set MM-789 is "Merchant Of Venice", set MM-790 is a performance of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", set MM-791 is "Julius Caesar" ,set MM-792 is "Macbeth". 789,790 and 791- Performed by "Orson Welles and Members of The Mercury Theatre" 792- "Orson Welles, Fay Bainter and Mercury Theatre". All 12 inch.
>>>>
>>>>>  From Columbia 1952-1953 catalogue Page 531 and 643.
>>>> Bob Hodge
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Merchant on Venice was originally C-6
>>> Twelfth Night was originally C-7
>>> Julius Caesar (complete) was originally C-10
>>> Julius Caesar (abridged) was M-325
>>> Macbeth was originally C-33
>>>  From the records themselves and Columbia catalog Feb 1940.
>>>
>>> I see that Sam did include the C numbers in the listings of the later MM issue, but I can probably supply the matrix numbers.
>>>
>>> But the dance and Bessie albums are still missing.
>>> C-1 tango Album Vol 1  342-M -347-M
>>> C-2 Tango Album Vol 2 373-M - 378-M
>>> C-3 Rumba and Conga Album 351-M - 356-M
>>> C-9  European Dance Album, records 310-M thru 315-M
>>> C-8  Bessie Smith Album 3171-D thru 3176-D
>>>
>>> Air Raid came out in two versions
>>> C-4 50382-D - S-50385-D  Blue labels
>>> C-5 69353-D - S-69356-D  Gold Labels
>>> (late copies of the set might have had mixed labels)
>>>
>>> Mike Biel  [log in to unmask]
>>>
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