Strata East vs Black Jazz?

bsuwolf

Dusty Groove currently has a Strata East comp http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=2qrh43j3tt&ref=index.php and a Black Jazz comp http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=qnnbk985jj&ref=index.php featured on their homepage. If you could only pick one, which would it be? I heard things from both labels that I loved, but I have also heard things that were just meh...please advise a Strata East / Black Jazz newbie.

dwyhajlo

I'd say Strata East.

gaz

dwyhajlo said:

I'd say Strata East.

seconded, mind you they havn't picked the best tracks on that black jazz comp to be fair

maru

Strata was a far superior label IMO. Haven't looked at the tracklist of either, but based on just the label I'd go with Strata.

InnerSpace

I would go with Strata East as well. Although just to be fair in a future comparison for you when you get into buying stand alone albums, there are far more Strata East albums than Black Jazz. Furthermore, while I have found gems on both labels, I tend to have my favorites in the Black Jazz label. i.e. - Roland Haynes- 2nd Wave and Rudolph Johnson- Spring Rain. Strata East is going to have more (quantity wise) of the ethnocentric albums and Black Jazz has a leaning toward spiritual/soul jazz. This is all generally speaking.

damms

Strata-East's catalog is much bigger
and the quality ratio is pretty high
so it should be a no-brainer

discos_alma

In all honesty this is not really a credible question.

Strata all day

discos_alma

InnerSpace said:

Furthermore, while I have found gems on both labels, I tend to have my favorites in the Black Jazz label. i.e. - Roland Haynes- 2nd Wave and Rudolph Johnson- Spring Rain. Strata East is going to have more (quantity wise) of the ethnocentric albums and Black Jazz has a leaning toward spiritual/soul jazz. This is all generally speaking.

Disagree on all counts. Black Jazz is mostly shlocky Fonky Jazz / boring soul jazz. There are a few TRACKS that i really love from a couple Black Jazz albums, but for the most part the albums are turds.

Check this version of "Black Orchid" from Gene Russell's New Direction LP

maru

Then again, if the comps hand pick the best tracks from their label's output then either should be a safe bet. There are a lot of one tracker albums on Black Jazz, so a comp sounds like the perfect way to enjoy the label without having to sit through tepidness.

But yeah, in terms of labels, I'd purge all my Black Jazz in a heartbeat before my Strata records.

damms

some of my favs from
Black Jazz: anything by Doug & Jean Carn especially "Adam's Apple" & "Spirit Of The New Land", The Awakening's "Mirage", Walter Bishop Jr.'s "Coral Keys" & Rudolph Johnson "The Second Coming"
Strata-East: Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson "Winter in America", Charlie Rouse "Two Is One", The Ensemble Al-Salaam "The Sojourner", Brother Ahh "Sound Awareness", Pharoah Sanders "Izipho Zam" & Billy Parker's Fourth World "Freedom Of Speech"

a similar label you might want to explore too is Phil Ranelin's Tribe Records

damms

musica said:

Disagree on all counts. Black Jazz is mostly shlocky Fonky Jazz / boring soul jazz. There are a few TRACKS that i really love from a couple Black Jazz albums, but for the most part the albums are turds.

this seems a little harsh. did you listen those I mentioned above ?

I agree that most of the Black Jazz catalog isn't great. but there are some killer albums for sure.

wyzewayz

Love Both, highly recommend output from both labels, why not try both?

though $$$ for $$$ I am usually more prepared to shell out for the strata east jawns

upskiboo

this thread just reminded me i gotta find a way to clean this off !!!!!

maru

wyzewayz said:

Love Both, highly recommend output from both labels, why not try both?

though $$$ for $$$ I am usually more prepared to shell out for the strata east jawns

I can't even think of any Black Jazz records that consistently go for over $100, while there are plenty on Strata for $200+

damms

upskiboo said:

this thread just reminded me i gotta find a way to clean this off !!!!!

lol who drew that Debian logo on it

Shamek Farrah First Impressions. that's the first Strata-East album I listened 3 years ago. When I was starting my exploration of the endless world of Jazz

upskiboo

damms said:

upskiboo said:

this thread just reminded me i gotta find a way to clean this off !!!!!

lol who drew that Debian logo on it

Shamek Farrah First Impressions. that's the first Strata-East album I listened 3 years ago. When I was starting my exploration of the endless world of Jazz

looks like someone smoked a joint while listning to the record and drew a green vortex right across the front, haha... daamn ;)

upskiboo

thats why ----> DO NOT SMOKE BLUNTS WHILE LISTNING TO RAERS!!!!!!

InnerSpace

musica said:

InnerSpace said:

Furthermore, while I have found gems on both labels, I tend to have my favorites in the Black Jazz label. i.e. - Roland Haynes- 2nd Wave and Rudolph Johnson- Spring Rain. Strata East is going to have more (quantity wise) of the ethnocentric albums and Black Jazz has a leaning toward spiritual/soul jazz. This is all generally speaking.

Disagree on all counts. Black Jazz is mostly shlocky Fonky Jazz / boring soul jazz. There are a few TRACKS that i really love from a couple Black Jazz albums, but for the most part the albums are turds.

Check this version of "Black Orchid" from Gene Russell's New Direction LP

A little bit overstated. I own all but about 3 of the strata albums and all but one of the black jazz albums and there are great albums and not as great albums on both labels. But both Awakening albums, Henry Franklin- the skipper, Rudolph johnson's albums are not one trackers. I would say that more than half of the Black Jazz label is really good jazz. Personal taste is going to dictate a lot of this but there are great albums in both camps. as far as which label has the most quality output, Strata is the winner. I just happen to have my favorites in Black jazz.

Also you might want to check out the Strata label (not the same as Strata East) there are good ones on that label too ironically, especially Lyman Woodard and Larry Nozero.

the_dL

strata east has the heavier pieces, black jazz is more consistant though imo

motown67

musica said:

Disagree on all counts. Black Jazz is mostly shlocky Fonky Jazz / boring soul jazz. There are a few TRACKS that i really love from a couple Black Jazz albums, but for the most part the albums are turds.

I would say the complete opposite. I own every Black Jazz release and think that the vast majority of the tracks are spiritual jazz. Only a couple are soul jazz.

tabira

the_dL said:

strata east has the heavier pieces, black jazz is more consistant though imo

That just about sums it up. There's nothing as bad as "The warm voice of Billy C" on black jazz, but neither is there anything as good as "First Impressions"

LoopDreams

Both labels are essential listening and comps are the way to start... those old Soul Jazz comps are good.

DustedDon

upskiboo said:

thats why ----> ONLY SMOKE BLUNTS WHILE LISTNING TO RAERS!!!!!!

froz1

Grab the Strata East comp...

Then listen to my black jazz mix and save yourself some $$$ !

http://www.soulstrut.com/index.php/mixes/indepth/end_is_near_the_black_jazz_mix/

upskiboo

DustedDon said:

upskiboo said:

thats why ----> ONLY SMOKE BLUNTS WHILE LISTNING TO REISSUES, OR EVEN BETTER, MP3'S!!!!!!

;)

scwiha

Yep, thought so

InnerSpace

I was new once too... but people contribute some cash to post things they are selling on here.

faux_rillz

scwiha said:

I'd have to go with Strata East. It's not just the music (although that does have a lot to do with it) - the whole feel of the label is right. I just put up a super fresh copy of Sound Awareness on ebay, if anyone has a gap to fill. For me, it's exactly the kind of Strata East album that Black Jazz just couldn't compete with.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/scwiha/m.html

TERD

But then pretty much everything on Black Jazz is a terd

scwiha

.

InnerSpace

Thanks for introducing yourself.