The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just brought home 10 of 12 78 rpm album sets by Circle, missing V & VI.

Volume I - jazz started in new orleans
Volume II - way down yonder
Volume III - jazz is...strictly music
Volume IV - the spanish tinge


Volume VII - everyone had his own style
Volume VIII - jelly and the blues
Volume IX - alabama bound
Volume X - the jazz piano soloist
Volume XI - in new orleans
Volume XII - i'm the winin' Boy

All the records are translucent red vinylite and appear to be in decent shape, though the albums are a
bit tattered. All the albums are marked Set No. 327.

These are all stamped in red on the first album page:

Yerba Buena
Music Shop
5721 Grove Street
Oakland 9, Calif.
OLympic 5675

Could this be one of the original 1947 set of albums or were there other releases on Circle 78s?



Thanks! Cliff

P.S. - I am taking pictures right now and will post some when they're ready.

Here they are:

Wow, I've never seen anything like those---nice find!

Of course, you know that vinylite should not be played on an acoustic phonograph, but only on a turntable with an electrical pickup, especially a modern, light-weight one.

I'm wondering if these are the documentary recordings that Morton made for the Library of Congress, with Alan (or was it John?) Lomax interviewing. I believe these were later made available on LP , IIRC.

Henry wrote:I'm wondering if these are the documentary recordings that Morton made for the Library of Congress, with Alan (or was it John?) Lomax interviewing. I believe these were later made available on LP , IIRC.

They are. These were supposedly masde in limited press runs, but they turn up somewhat regularly in auction lists. I had the first few volumes of these several years ago and traded them off. As I recall, the vinyl was nice looking, but the pressings were of variable quality.

Sean

these albums are all No. 327. I think this might be the highest numbered set known...

Very nice find. I have a pretty good handle on all things Morton,but I didn't know about these. Great find!

Jim

If you google up "library of congress jelly roll morton" you'll get a lot of hits, among them this one: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-compl ... 0000718312

Looks like the very set that started this thread! Samples from each album are given on the above link cited.