Thank you for all that you have said about me. I will try to live up to it!
As for Prestige, first bear in mind that Bob Weinstock used to have his office in Manhattan. He once told me that he had moved it to New Jersey because he wanted to distance himself from musicians who sought him out for cash advances. This was a period when heavy drug use was all too common among musicians. I remember having to pass two to four of them each time I walked through the reception room at Riverside. Bill Evans and Philly Jo Jones were among the regulars,as was Chet Baker, who actually stole blank checks from Bill Grauer’s office. When Bill found out, he could have had Chet arrested, instead, he told him that he owed the label an album. I believe the result was „Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings.“
You can be sure that Bob never looked for „junkies“ to record, and there were neither accompanists nor composers waiting in Rudy’s home, where the first sessions took place. I don’t know how such stories get started, but they are false.
We did not have total freedom to record whoever we wished. Bob had to approve the session(s), but once we had the nod from him, he stayed away and gave us the freedom to put a session together our own way. Budget was always a problem, so it was just natural for Esmond and Don Schlitten to use their cameras. I don’t know how the other producers worked, but I always listened to the ideas of those whose name was going on the album. I suspect that others did the same, although I do recall Sylvia Syms complaining about the bass player on an album I was writing notes for. She begged me to as Bob if she could do the sessions over again, with no additional fee to her. Bob said no, he did not want to spend more money on that particular album, nor did he want to interfere with Esmond’s work.
If an artist like Coltrane wanted to record with a certain musician, he would very likely get his wish—it might depend on whether that musician would add unreasonably to the cost, but, artistically? Sure, it would make sense to let Coltrane have his way.
I hope this helps to correct someone’s Wikipedian fantasy!
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