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   On Internet since 1999

The Birka Jazz Archive
Records we have bought and sold over the years - the rare and the beautiful!


Please note!
Birka Jazz record store is closed but Birka Jazz Archive is still available. Scroll down and use the links to browse this comprehensive archive of rare jazz album covers





AMERICAN LABELS

COLUMBIA RECORDS
The pioneers of album cover design

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (1)
David Stone Martin

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (2)
The photographic covers

BLUE NOTE  10" LPs
Searching for a modern jazz identity

BLUE NOTE  1500 series
Defining the hard bop style

BLUE NOTE  4000 series
Masterpieces of Reid Miles

PRESTIGE RECORDS
Images of East Coast jazz

RIVERSIDE RECORDS
Street cred with Thelonious Monk

PACIFIC JAZZ
Moods of Chet and Claxton

CONTEMPORARY
Cool West Coast, great Sound

SAVOY RECORDS
Masterworks by Charlie Parker

DIAL RECORDS
Small label, big Bird sound

ATLANTIC RECORDS
Bold and striking albums

EMARCY RECORDS
The classic drummer logo label

BETHLEHEM RECORDS
The beautiful design of Burt Goldblatt

DEBUT RECORDS
Artist-operated jazz label with Mingus & Roach

CANDID RECORDS
Legendary, early 1960s LPs

ESP-DISK
Free jazz and silk screened covers

IMPULSE RECORDS
Edgy and experimental

RCA VICTOR
The high spirit of Jim Flora

VARIOUS US labels (1)
ABC-Paramount, Aladdin, Argo, Capitol, Coral, Dawn, Decca,
and more

VARIOUS US labels (2)
Epic, Fantasy, HiFi, Imperial, Jazzland, Jazz West, Jubilee, Mercury, Mode, and more

VARIOUS US labels (3)
Roost, Signal, Storyville, Tampa, Transition, United Artists, Vee Jay, and more



EUROPEAN LABELS

SWEDEN (1)
The EP era and Metronome Records in 1950s

SWEDEN (2)
The LPs in the 1950s, and Swedish jazz abroad

SWEDEN (3)
Changing times in the 1960s

SWEDEN (4)
New energy to Swedish jazz in the 1970s

DENMARK
Montmartre, Debut Records and the heydays in Danish jazz

NORWAY
Krog and Garbarek, greats in Norwegian jazz

FINLAND
Plenty of merged styles in Finnish jazz

FRANCE
Americans in Paris, force in French jazz

ENGLAND
Esquire and Tempo, classic labels in British jazz

GERMANY
Jazz labels with strong identity

ITALY
Rare Italian jazz covers

HOLLAND
From Diamonds to ICP in
Dutch jazz

POLAND
Unique series of Polish jazz on Muza


OTHER COUNTRIES
Jazz labels around the world







         

Debut Records

Artist-operated jazz label
with
Mingus & Roach

DEBUT RECORDS was founded in 1952 by Charles Mingus, his wife Celia and Max Roach. The label was an experiment and an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies. It was the first reasonably long-lived artist-operated jazz label of the 1950s.

   
    Charles Mingus   Photo: Bob Parent


Before the story ended in 1957 the recording activity of Debut led to more than 35 sessions, resulting in twelve 78s, two EPs, seventeen 10" LPs and nine 12" LPs.

The first LP album was a duo recording with Charles Mingus and pianist Spaulding Givens. The second was the famous Massey Hall recordings in 1953. Other highlights are considered to be the Kenny Dorham session; the first and second outlets of Thad Jones; the Miles Davis session and the Cafe Bohemia gig of the Charles Mingus Quintet.

In 1955-56 Charles Mingus and Max Roach had become established leaders and they were more involved with their musical careers than to operate a record company. So gradually the Debut label faltered. An additional reason was that the two partners also had differences about the way they would run the company.


Kept alive in Denmark

During the last years of the 1950s, the Debut catalogue kept alive in Denmark by Ole Vestegaard, who had leased the company´s catalogue from Charles Mingus. Later on Vestegaard started to produce recordings on his own. About these albums on the Danish Debut, see the Denmark page.

The American Debut was purchased by Fantasy Records in the early 1960s.


BOB PARENT was a New York-based photographer whose images appeared regulary in magazines such as Life and Downbeat, in books like "Jazz Is" by Nat Hentoff, and on album covers for labels as Prestige, Debut, Bethlehem and Savoy.

He spent countless nights in the dimly lit jazz clubs of Boston and New York, and developed ingenious ways to sidestep the use of flash in order to avoid disturbing performers. Bob Parent's subjects also include sporting events, theater, politicians and New York and Boston city life.




See also

The Danish Debut albums



LINKS

Debut Records Discography
jazzdiscorg.com


The Bob Parent Archive

 Kenny Dorham Quintet   Label: Debut DLP-9   10" LP 1954   Photo: Bob Parent

Debut Records

 Charles Mingus - Spaulding Givens: Strings and Keys  Label: Debut DLP-1   10" LP 1953
 The first LP from Debut Records
 
 

 The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall  Label: Debut DLP-2   10" LP 1953
 Design: Arnaud Maggs
 
 

 Bud Powell: Jazz at Massey Hall  Label: Debut DLP-3   10" LP 1953
 Photo: Herman Leonard
 
 

 J.J. Johnson a.o.: Jazz Workshop  Label: Debut DLP-5   10" LP 1953
 Photo: Herman Leonard
 
 

 Introducing Paul Bley  Label: Debut DLP-7   10" LP 1954   Design: Bill Spilka
 
 

 Oscar Pettiford: The New Sextet   Label: Debut DLP-8   10" LP 1953
 Design: Bill Spilka :  Photo: Herman Leonard
 
 

'

 Charles Mingus Octet  Label: Debut EP-450   7" EP 1954   Design: Gene Bilbrew
 
 

 The Max Roach Septet  Label: Debut EP-451   7" EP 1954   Design: Bill Spilka
 
 

 Sam Most Quartet Plus Two  Label: Debut DLP-11   10" LP 1954   Photo: Bob Parent
 
 

 The fabulous Thad Jones   Label: Debut DLP-12   10" LP 1954
 Design: Bill Spilka   Photo: Hugh Bell
 
 

 Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley   Label: Debut DLP-13   10" LP 1955
 Design: Bill Spilka
 
 

 Hazel Scott: Relaxed Piano Moods  Label: Debut DLP-16   10" LP 1955
 
 

 Charles Mingus - Thad Jones: Jazz Collaborations  Label: Debut DLP-17   10" LP 1955
 Photo: Cork
 
 

 Miles Davis: Blue Moods   Label: Debut DEB-120  12" LP 1955
 Design and photo: Bob Parent
 
 

 John La Porta: Three Moods  Label: Debut DEB-122   10" LP 1954   Design: Kiriki
 
 

 Charles Mingus: Mingus at the Bohemia   Label: Debut DEB-123   123" LP 1955
 Photo: Bob Parent
 
 

 The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall   Label: Debut DEB-124  12" LP 1956
 Photo: Bob Parent
 
 

 Four Trombones  Label: Debut DEP-126   12" LP 1956
 
 

 Thad Jones  Label: Debut DEP-127   12" LP 1958
 
 

 
      
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