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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 the Muza label


OTHER COUNTRIES
Jazz labels around the world






POLAND

Unique series
of Polish jazz on the Muza label

A milestone in the history of Polish jazz was the recording start of "The Polish Jazz Series" in 1964 on the record label Muza. It became the world´s longest running series of LPs with recordings of jazz artists from one country.

In the Stalinist Poland after the World War II, jazz was banned and could only be played at private homes. But in 1953, the situation changed. It become acceptable to listen to jazz and to play it.

Jazz festivals began to appear and for the first time, jazz fans in Poland had a chance to listen to musicians from outside of the country. The first offical jazz clubs were created and in 1956 the first issue of the monthly music magazine called Jazz was published in Poland.


The hip cats in Melomani

The best known Polish jazz unit from the 1950s is Melomani. It was formed already in the 1940s and the lineup fluctuated during the 1950s. The leader was Jerzy "Dudus" Matuszkiewicz, and the group included the hippest cats of the day. Many of the members were students of the Lodz Film School, one of the leading European film movements and commonly referred to as the Polish School.

Melomani

Among the the members of Melomani were Krzysztof Komeda, Andrzej Kurylewicz and Andrzej Trzaskowski. They became the leading figures in Polish jazz in the 1960s.


Komeda strong force in Polish jazz

Best known is Komeda. With his personality and his deep original music, he was a strong force in Polish jazz and he made a great impact on other musicians. His music is still alive, inspiring new artists and listener over the world, more than three decades after his tragically early death in 1969 at the age of 38.

Komeda in Stockholm 1964, with Rune Carlsson, Roman Dylag and Jan Wroblewski   Photo: Nils Edström

   
    Krzysztof Komeda

During his life, Komeda issued only one album in his home country, the LP Astigmatic in 1965. An album with more influence on Polish jazz has yet to be recorded!

Among other important musicians in the 1960s and 1970s were Zbigniew Namyslowski, Tomasz Stanko, Zbigniew Seifert, Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, Mieczyslaw Kosz, Michael Urbaniak, Wlodzimierz Nahorny, Jerzy Milian, Adam Makowiwicz and the vocal group Novi Singers.


         

MUZA was the only offically sanctioned record label in Poland. The wellknown Polish Jazz Series was created by Ryszard Sielicki and Andrzej Karpinski in 1964.

The series continued into the late 1980s. 76 volumes were released, documenting the heritage and living history of Polish jazz.




Source: PolishJazz.com



LINKS

Freedom at Last
polishjazz.com


Krzysztof Komeda
official website


 Krzysztof Komeda: Astigmatic   Label: Muza 0298   12" LP 1965   Design: Marek Karewicz

POLAND

   Komeda Trio with Bernt Rosengren: Soundtrack "The Knife in the Water" (Muza N0187),
and Jan Weoblewski Quintet: Moods (Muza N0184).  EPs from 1961
 
 

 Jazz Rockers with Zbigniew Namyslowski: Holiday Moods   Label: Muza N0229   7" EP 1962
 
 

   Jazz Jamboree 62, vol. 2: Eje Thelin Quintet   (10" LP 1962 - Muza L 0395), and
Go Right by Andrzej Kurylewicz   (12" LP 1963 - Muza XL 0186)
 
 

 Jazz Jamboree 62, vol. 3: Lous Hjulmand - Vadim Sakun   Label: Muza L0396   10" LP 1962
 
 

 Jazz Jamboree 62, vol. 4: Jörgen Leth - Igor Caplinski   Label: Muza L0397   10" LP 1962
 
 

 Zbigniew Namyslowski Modern Jazz Quartet: Lola   Label: Decca LK4644 (UK)   12" LP 1964
 
 

 Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet   Label: Muza XL 0258   12" LP 1965
 
 

 Krzysztof Komeda: Cul-de-Sac   Label: Polydor 580 001 (UK)   7" EP 1966
 
 

   LPs from 1966 and 1967: Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet (Muza SXL 0305), and
Bossa Nova by Novi Singers (Muza XL 0415)
 
 

 A. Trzaskowski - Ted Curson: Seant   Label: Muza 0378   12" LP 1967
 Design: Marek Karewicz
 
 
 

 Wlodzimierz Nahorny: Heart   Label: Muza XL 0452   12" LP 1967
 
 

 Jerzy Milian Trio   Label: Muza XL 0555   12" LP 1969
 
 

 Thomasz Stanko: Music for K   Label: Muza 0607   12" LP 1970   Design: Marek Karewics
 
 

 Zbigniew Namyslowski: Winobranie   Label: Muza SX 0952   12" LP 1973
 
 

 Tomasz Stanko: Twet   Label: Muza SX 1138   12" LP 1974
 
 

 Adam Makowicz: Live Embers   Label: Muza SX 1218   12" LP 1975
 
 

 
      
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