The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Torjazzer wrote:Re:
He was regarded as the Caruso of cantors and not without reason. He had incredible range and depth. Even Caruso himself was a fan and saw him in concert. At the end of the concert Caruso mounted the stage and kissed him, saying he wish he had his gift. Declining the role of Jolson's father in The Jazz Singer, he agreed instead to play himself in a scene. Yes, his records are plentiful but I don't think it makes him less interesting than others. I buy them whenever I see them.

To me Rosenbaltt and Oysher are "uninteresting" in the same sense that Caruso and, say, Louis Armstrong are "uninteresting". Musically wonderful, important and timeless, but common enough so that most collectors have or can get all of the copies that they want. The stuff offered by the OP is, on the other hand, generally of the greatest rarity.

Uncle Vanya wrote:

Torjazzer wrote:Re:
He was regarded as the Caruso of cantors and not without reason. He had incredible range and depth. Even Caruso himself was a fan and saw him in concert. At the end of the concert Caruso mounted the stage and kissed him, saying he wish he had his gift. Declining the role of Jolson's father in The Jazz Singer, he agreed instead to play himself in a scene. Yes, his records are plentiful but I don't think it makes him less interesting than others. I buy them whenever I see them.

To me Rosenbaltt and Oysher are "uninteresting" in the same sense that Caruso and, say, Louis Armstrong are "uninteresting". Musically wonderful, important and timeless, but common enough so that most collectors have or can get all of the copies that they want. The stuff offered by the OP is, on the other hand, generally of the greatest rarity.

I see your point. How lucky we are that they arrived when the recording industry was starting to bloom.

There are some other interesting Cantor records here http://www.ebay.com/sch/Records-/176985 ... 0RPM&rt=nc - and some other uncommon and interesting records - but most at prohibitively high prices (as so often).

This very interesting thread has brought to mind a fine online treasure trove of cantorial and other Jewish recordings that I found soon after I got the records I have. I'm posting a link here in case others may find it useful:

http://faujsa.fau.edu/jsa/find_singles. ... tion=reset

I e-mailed the archive offering to donate the records I have, thinking they might be scarce. Learning now that the Rosenblatt records are actually common, I suppose that may be why I never received a reply. (Still, a polite note declining my offer might have been nice...[/kvetch])

Cody K wrote:I e-mailed the archive offering to donate the records I have, thinking they might be scarce. Learning now that the Rosenblatt records are actually common, I suppose that may be why I never received a reply. (Still, a polite note declining my offer might have been nice...[/kvetch])

Most "archives" don't seem to have much interest in communication, sadly, unless you actually know someone there from my experience.

And while Rosenblatt and some other Cantorial discs may be common to some extent, in my years of going through records, most of these (even the "common" Rosenblatt's) seldom turn up in decent condition. They're usually rather played to death!

Sean

OrthoSean wrote:

Cody K wrote:I e-mailed the archive offering to donate the records I have, thinking they might be scarce. Learning now that the Rosenblatt records are actually common, I suppose that may be why I never received a reply. (Still, a polite note declining my offer might have been nice...[/kvetch])

Most "archives" don't seem to have much interest in communication, sadly, unless you actually know someone there from my experience.

And while Rosenblatt and some other Cantorial discs may be common to some extent, in my years of going through records, most of these (even the "common" Rosenblatt's) seldom turn up in decent condition. They're usually rather played to death!

Sean

I was lucky to find a stack of over thirty at a local antique fair. Each disc is in pristine condition and in original sleeves. Many of them are 12-inch acoustic on the Columbia flag label and some electrics from Yiddish theater, including "A Drunken Cantor". They will never see an acoustic machine.

Uncle Vanya wrote:Some rare stuff indeed. For the collector of Judaica certainly more interesting than the stacks of sides by Jossele Rosenblatt or Moishe Oysher. Even so, I was hoping for "Old Banjo Eyes" on Pathé.

haha me too

Orchorsol wrote:There are some other interesting Cantor records here http://www.ebay.com/sch/Records-/176985 ... 0RPM&rt=nc - and some other uncommon and interesting records - but most at prohibitively high prices (as so often).

The guy seems to sell them though ! here is a link to his sold items , http://tinyurl.com/oulwa7x
many of these I have in stock and couldn't even give away !

soundgen wrote:The guy seems to sell them though ! here is a link to his sold items , http://tinyurl.com/oulwa7x
many of these I have in stock and couldn't even give away !

Well, remember something. Collectors of these records usually only want TOP condition copies, so very specific grading is important if you want to achieve good sales results. I had a large number of important early discs by Kwartin in incredible condition. When I decided they were not my "thing", I listed them on eBay, took very detailed, well-lit photos and graded each one very thoroughly. They sold at very high prices. The more info you can provide a potential bidder beforehand, the better your results will be.

Sean