[78-L] "Zulu's Ball" was Gennett labels

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <zimrec at juno.com>
> I'm about a week behind reading the digests and trying to catch up.  The 
> article by Russ Shor pertaining to the history of "Zulu's Ball" on the VJM 
> site is a bit inaccurate.  Here are the details as I know them, first 
> hand:
> Bob Altshuler, a former record company executive -- he worked for Candid 
> and subsequently became a VP at Columbia -- had became involved in dealing 
> in collector records, primarily 78 rpm.  How that came about is another 
> story which I won't go into here.  In the 1970s, Altshuler, who lived in 
> Huntington, New York. purchased the record from Monte Ballou.  It is 
> likely that he had, by then, already lined up sale of the record to Bernie 
> Klatzko, producer of the Herwin LP reissue label in nearby Glen Cove.
> I saw the record twice while it was owned by Klatko, but I can't recall 
> now which of the two was first.  One time was in the basement of Jerry 
> Valburn's house in Plainview, less than 5 miles  (about 7 km) from where I 
> live.  The Herwon LP reissue of the Oliver sides may have already been 
> issued by that time.  Among those present at that time were Klatzko and 
> John R. T. Davies.  Jerry made a transfer to tape at the time.  The other 
> time I saw the record was at Klatko's house.  I had gone with Alan 
> Roberts, producer of the Sunbeam label.  Alan, from Van Nuys, California, 
> was staying with me at the time.  Klatzko allowed us to handle the record, 
> but I declined.  Alan accepted the offer and, on returning it to Klatzko, 
> remarked that he wasn't ever going to wash his hands again.
> Sometime around that period, I was over Altshuler's house where he had a 
> black & white, 8-inch by 10-inch glossy of the record on display.  He then 
> proceeded to tell me the story of having taken the record to a 
> professional photographer in New York City where, while during the 
> photo-shoot, he had asked the guy how much he thought the record was 
> worth.  When told, Altshuler said the fellow didn't bat an eye.  Seems he 
> was used to photographing jewelry that was worth many times more. ... I 
> have to interject here that, nowhere along the way did I ever learn 
> precisely how much anyone ever paid for the record.
> The next thing I know, the record is in the possession of Max Vreede. 
> Whether or not Altshuler was an intermediary in the sale is something I 
> don't know.  While Max owned it, John R. T., on one of my many visits with 
> him in England, told me that the record's condition had lessened a grade 
> since he first saw it.
> Russ Shor acquired the record from Vreede or his estate.  I have no first 
> hand knowledge of the terms.  I was told that Russ and Joe Lauro, owner of 
> a film library business on Shelter Island, NY,  partnered in purchasing 
> the Vreede collection and that the price was so high that they had to sell 
> off some of the collection to pay for acquiring it.  Whether or not that 
> is the actual case, I don't know.  On at least three separte occasions, 
> Russ brought the record to the annual Jazz Record Collectors' Bash in New 
> Jersey.
> That, then, is the story of the original  "Zulu's Ball" record as I know 
> it.
> BTW, if Huntington, NY -- where Altshuler lived -- sounds familiar to 
> anyone outside this area, it may be because that is also where John 
> Coltrane lived.
>
Altschuer is/was NOTED for his "Altschuler pressings"...10" vinyl pressings 
taken
from original ARC/CBS stampers! Sadly, there exists NO practical method
of tracking the ownership of records SO rare that that is useful data!!

Note that my Okie 78 is also probably an "only existing copy!" However,
it is of CONSIDERABLY less jazz-oriented interest...?!

...stevenc