Ace Records’ Boplicity label was one of the earliest entries into the jazz reissues market in the mid-1980s. The short release schedule covered classic modern jazz from the 50s and 60s, taking in music originally released by Blue Note, Riverside, Prestige and various smaller independents. We are now re-launching the label as home for our small but distinct catalogue of 1950s and 1960s modern jazz. Featuring bonus tracks wherever possible, each release will strive for the highest quality in sound reproduction, using fresh transfers of the original master tapes.
Our first batch of releases comprises albums recorded by Dexter Gordon, Carl Perkins, Curtis Counce and Buddy Collette for Dootsie William’s Dootone label. A fixture of the Los Angeles scene since the early 1930s, Williams set up his label in the late 40s to take advantage of the nascent vocal group scene. Dootone scored a big hit in 1954 with ‘Earth Angel’ by the Penguins, which allowed him to indulge his passion for jazz.
Bassist Curtis Counce was an in-demand player from the moment he arrived in Los Angeles in the late 40s. His group included pianist Carl Perkins, trumpeter Jack Sheldon and the incredible saxophonist Harold Land. Signed by Contemporary, they released two fine hard bop albums in 1956 and 1957. By the time of their Dootone album “Exploring The Future” – which featured an astounding cover of Counce in an orange spacesuit – Perkins had died and Sheldon had left the group. The record was exceptional, although different from their earlier material, the arrival of Elmo Hope on piano making for a busier sound.
By Dean Rudland
