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Founded by Moses Asch in 1938, although the first commercial issues did not appear until 1941. Asch was one of the most important independent record producers of the 1940s, preserving the recordings of great folk artists including Leadbelly, Cisco Houston and Woody Guthrie. When World War II-era shellac rationing halted his business in 1943, Asch joined forces with Stinson Records, which had access to a shellac ration.
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Ellington's most prominent suite and a very important Carnegie Hall concert.
Ellington and the success of the performance, suite and his renown as a composer influenced Mary. -
Mary hosted a weekly radio show and debuted movements over a twelve week span before recording them for ASCH records.
https://www.wnew1130.com -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBPepNvOzQw
Released in 1945 as Asch 620 and 621, Original Asch Records 'Signs of the Zodiac' album released 1945.
Recorded at Asch Records Studio, New York, June, 1945.
Re-released in 1975 as an LP as Folkways 32844.
Transferred to digital from the original acetates and analog production masters by Malcom Addey.
Released on CD as a 50th Anniversary commemorative in
℗© 1995 Smithsonian/Folkway Recordings -
Mary Lou Williams With Her Jazz Big Band And Symphonic Orchestra Featuring Ben Webster (& other guests)
The recordings were taken, and thought lost, and rediscovered and released in the early 90's. -
This performance featured Mary with Symphony Orchestra.
Though recorded these also went missing, or were lost. -
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Folkways Records was founded in 1948. Led by Moses Asch (1905-1986), Folkways sought to document the entire world of sound. The 2,168 titles Asch released on Folkways include traditional and contemporary music from around the world. Folkways Records and the label's business papers and files were acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987. Every recording is kept in print.
https://folkways.si.edu/folkways-records/smithsonian -
Musidisc – 30 JA 5187, Musidisc – JA 5187
Records Taurus here, but this recording is released in 1976 -
Bethlehem Records – BCP 33
This arrangement of "Scorpio" matches closely to the orchestrated version from The Town Hall concert. It is said that Mary arranged a movement for Ellington, and Pettiford also worked at times with Ellington, potentially this is a reduced version of that unused arrangement. -
Gunther Schuller coined this term for a mixture of Jazz and Classical music in 1957. It caused a stir, 12 years after Mary's attempts at integrating the Zodiac Suite with Classical musicians. -
Verve Records – MGV-8244
Mary Lou Williams With The Dizzy Gillespie Band*– Zodiac Suite (Virgo Libra Aries) -
Folkways Records – FTS 32844 -
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Smithsonian Folkways – SF CD 40810
Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 & 11 previously unreleased.
Compiled By, Reissue Producer – Matt Walters
Liner Notes – Dan Morgenstern
Liner Notes, Piano – Mary Lou Williams
Mastered By – Joe Gastwirt
Photography – James Kriegsman
Producer [Original Sessions], Engineer [Recording] – Moses Asch
Reissue Producer [Associate Producer] – Father Peter F. O'Brien*
Reissue Producer [Production Supervised By] – Anthony Seeger
Technician – Malcolm Addey -
Mary Records – M104, 2006
A tribute that lives up to, and expands on, the initial idea of the suite as a trio recording.
Geri Allen, Buster Williams & Billy Hart
