Wikipedia

Debut Records

Debut Records
Founded1952 (1952)
FounderCharles Mingus
Celia Mingus
Max Roach
Defunct1957 (1957)
StatusInactive
GenreJazz
Country of originU.S.
LocationNew York City

Debut Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his wife Celia, and drummer Max Roach.[1]

This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies. Intended to showcase performances by new musicians, only about two dozen albums were issued before the company closed in 1957.[2] Nonetheless, several prominent jazz musicians made their first recordings as leaders for Debut, including pianist Paul Bley, and trumpeters Kenny Dorham and Thad Jones. Saxophonist Hank Mobley made his recording debut on the label, as a sideman with Roach.[3] Teo Macero, later a producer with Miles Davis, recorded his first album as a leader as a saxophonist for Debut, an album described by critic Dan Morgenstern[4] as an oddball fusion of Lennie Tristano and Anton Webern.

Debut was the label on which the Jazz at Massey Hall concert album was first issued. Recorded in Toronto, it features Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach, and was the last recorded meeting of long-term musical partners Parker and Gillespie.

In 1957, Danish bookseller Ole Vestegaard leased the company's catalogue from Mingus and produced recordings on the Danish Debut label by American jazz musicians who settled in Copenhagen or played at Jazzhus Montmartre.[5]

After Celia and Charles Mingus divorced, Celia married Saul Zaentz in 1960. Charles gave the Zaentzes control of the rights to Debut catalog as a wedding gift. Mingus thought the gift fitting as Celia had handled the bulk of Debut's business affairs, and most of the seed money came from Celia's mother. Zaentz was later head of Fantasy Records,[4] where the Debut recordings were subsequently reissued from 1962–1964.[6]

A 12-CD set of the Debut recordings featuring Mingus, the majority of the label's output, was issued by Fantasy Records in 1990.[7] A four-CD sequence entitled Mingus Rarities (Original Jazz Classics) collected some of the more obscure material featuring Mingus.

Discography

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Albums

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Debut Ten-inch series

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Catalog number Year Artist Title Notes
DLP 1 1953 Charles Mingus/Spaulding Givens Strings and Keys
DLP 2 1953 The Quintet Jazz at Massey Hall, Volume One live
DLP 3 1953 Bud Powell Trio Jazz At Massey Hall, Volume Two live
DLP 4 1953 The Quintet Jazz at Massey Hall, Volume Three live
DLP 5 1953 Trombone Rapport Jazz Workshop, Vol. 1 live
DLP 6 1953 Teo Macero Explorations
DLP 7 1954 Paul Bley Introducing Paul Bley
DLP 8 1954 Oscar Pettiford The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet
DLP 9 1954 Kenny Dorham Kenny Dorham Quintet
DLP 10 1954 John LaPorta The John LaPorta Quintet
DLP 11 1954 Sam Most Sam Most Quartet Plus Two
DLP 12 1954 Thad Jones The Fabulous Thad Jones
DLP 13 1955 Max Roach The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley
DLP 14 1955 Trombone Rapport Jazz Workshop, Vol. 2 live
DLP 15 1955 Ada Moore Jazz Workshop, Vol. 3 live
DLP 16 1955 Hazel Scott Relaxed Piano Moods
DLP 17 1955 Thad Jones/Charles Mingus Jazz Collaborations, Vol. 1

Debut Twelve-inch series

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Catalog number Year Artist Title Notes
DEB 198 1955 Jazz Workshop Autobiography in Jazz
DEB 120 1955 Miles Davis Blue Moods
DEB 121 1956? John Dennis New Piano Expressions
DEB 122 1956 John LaPorta Three Moods
DEB 123 1956 Charles Mingus Mingus at the Bohemia live
DEB 124 1956 The Quintet Jazz at Massey Hall live; compiles DLP 2 & DLP 4
DEB 125 1957 Alonzo Levister Manhattan Monodrama
DEB 126 1957 Kai Winding + J.J. Johnson Four Trombones live; recorded alongside DLP 5 & DLP 14
DEB 127 1958 Thad Jones Thad Jones
DEB 128 N/A Charles Mingus Chazz! (UNISSUED); issued in Denmark as DEB 139
DEB 129 N/A Jimmy Knepper New Faces (UNISSUED) some of the material appeared on Debut DL 101 – Danish EP

Danish Debut Twelve-inch series

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Catalog number Year Artist Title Notes
DEB 130 1960 The Four Trombones Trombone Rapport live; compiles DLP 5 & DLP 14
DEB 131 1960 Coleman Hawkins/Bud Powell/Oscar Pettiford/Kenny Clarke The Essen Jazz Festival All Stars
DEB 132 1960 Oscar Pettiford and His Jazz Groups My Little Cello
DEB 133 1960 The Axen/Jaedig Jazz Groups Let's Keep the Message Bent Axen/Bent Jædig
DEB 134 1961 Jorn Elniff Music for Mice and Men
DEB 135 1961 Louis Hjulmand & Allan Botschinsky Featuring Oscar Pettiford Blue Brothers/Blue Bros.
DEB 136 1962 Eric Dolphy Eric Dolphy in Europe live
DEB 137 1962 Brew Moore Brew Moore in Europe live
DEB 138 1963 Cecil Taylor Live at the Cafe Montmartre live
DEB 139 1963 Charles Mingus Chazz! live; recorded concurrently with DEB 123; partially reissued on Fantasy as The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach in 1964
DEB 140 1964 Albert Ayler My Name Is Albert Ayler
DEB 141 1964 Sahib Shihab Sahib's Jazz Party live
DEB 142 1964 Don Byas Don Byas' 30th Anniversary Album
DEB 143 1965 The Contemporary Jazz Quartet Featuring Sonny Murray Action
DEB 144 1965 Albert Ayler Ghosts reissued on Freedom as Vibrations
SDEB 1145 1965 The Radio Jazz Group The Radio Jazz Group
DEB 146 1964? Albert Ayler Spirits reissued on Freedom as Witches & Devils
DEB 147 1965 Paul Bley Trio Touching
DEB 1148 1966 Hugh Steinmetz Nu!
DEB 148 1965? Cecil Taylor Jazz Unit Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come live
DEB 1149 1967 Bent Jaedig Bent Jaedig Quintet
DEB 150 1967 Palle Mikkelborg Og Radio Jazz Gruppen The Mysterious Corona
DEB 151 196 The Contemporary Jazz Quintet T.C.J.Q.

Singles and EPs

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Debut 78 RPM series (10" shellac)

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Catalog number Year Artist Title Notes
M-101 1952 Charles Mingus "Precognition" / "Portrait"
M-102 1952 Charles Mingus "Paris in Blue" / "Make Believe"
M-103 1952 Charles Mingus "Montage" / "Extrasensory Perception"
M-104 1953 Hal Mitchell "Confidentially" / "Mitch's Blues"
M-105 1953 Max Roach "Orientation" / "Mobleyzation"
M-106 1953 Max Roach "Glow Worm" / "Sfax"
M-107 1953 Max Roach "Just One of Those Things" / "Drum Conversation"
M-108 1953 Max Roach "Kismet" / "Chi-Chi"
M-109 1953 Max Roach "I'm a Fool to Want You" / "Cou-Manchi-Cou"
M-110 1953 The Gordons with the Hank Jones Trio "Bebopper" / "Can You Blame Me Me"
M-111 1953 Honey Gordon with the Hank Jones Trio "You and Me" / "Cupid"
M-112 1955 Don Senay with Strings "The Edge of Love" / "Fanny"

Debut Seven-inch series

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Catalog number Year Artist Title Notes
EP-450 1954 Charles Mingus Octet Charles Mingus Octet
EP-451 1954 The Max Roach Septet The Max Roach Septet reissued on DLP 13 CD reissue

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Priestley, Brian (1982). Mingus: A Critical Biography. London: Quartet Books. p. 46. ISBN 0-7043-2275-7.
  2. ^ Debut Records discography at Jazzdisco.org; accessed January 2, 2012
  3. ^ Pekar, H. A View of Debut, Metro, Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 1997
  4. ^ a b See Morgenstern's notes for the 4-CD set The Debut Records Story
  5. ^ Jazzistmark: The Legengary Debut Label accessed May 2, 2016
  6. ^ Fantasy's Debut Series at Discogs
  7. ^ Charles Mingus - The Complete Debut Recordings at Discogs
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