Danish jazz: Debut, SteepleChase and the Copenhagen years

In short: In the sixties and seventies, Copenhagen was one of Europe’s most important jazz cities. Many American musicians lived there or came regularly – Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Ben Webster, Sahib Shihab. Danish labels like Debut and SteepleChase captured that music. You can tell Danish editions by “Made in Denmark” on the label and by the Danish catalogue number – whether it is a first pressing only the label variant, matrix and sleeve can tell.

From our stock

Debut Records

SteepleChase

→ SteepleChase label · Jazz on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing

Why Copenhagen?

In Europe, many American jazz musicians found more work and recognition than at home. Copenhagen, with the Jazzhus Montmartre, became a second home for many of them. They played with Danish musicians and made records there – and because they stayed, a catalogue grew that only exists in Denmark. Many of our records come from there, because Thomas is based in Copenhagen.

Debut: the Danish label from Brande

Debut was first the name of an American label, founded by Charles Mingus, Celia Mingus and Max Roach in 1952. The Danish Debut took over some of those recordings – and made its own. This is how Thomas tells the story:

“In Denmark there’s a small town called Brande with only seven to eight thousand people. The man who started the Danish Debut label got the rights to releases previously on the American Debut label, like some Miles Davis and a few others. He reissued them on Debut. But he also made his own recordings when they came to Denmark. They were so well recorded. And it was just a farmer who owned it.”

One of those own recordings is “Sahib’s Jazz Party” by the saxophonist Sahib Shihab, who had lived in Europe since the late fifties. The record came out on Debut in 1964 as DEB-141. The label says “Made in Denmark”.

Sahib Shihab “Sahib’s Jazz Party” in the shop

SteepleChase: Copenhagen in the seventies

In 1972 Nils Winther founded the SteepleChase label in Copenhagen. He recorded American musicians who lived in Europe or were on tour – Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Duke Jordan, Jackie McLean, Horace Parlan –, often live at the Jazzhus Montmartre. Danish musicians joined them, such as the bassist Jesper Lundgaard or the guitarist Pierre Dørge. The result is a large catalogue of hard bop and post bop.

How to spot a Danish edition

• On the label it says “Made in Denmark”.
• The catalogue number is the Danish one: DEB at Debut, SCS at SteepleChase.
• Watch out for reissues: later SteepleChase editions were partly made in Germany. The label and the record description show where your copy comes from.
• First pressing or not? The catalogue number often stays the same on reissues, and there are Danish reissues too. Whether you have a first pressing is shown by the exact label variant, the matrix in the runout and the sleeve – more in our guide How to read the runout.

→ How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained · Collecting Blue Note

FAQ

Why is there so much jazz from Denmark? Because in the sixties and seventies many American musicians lived in Copenhagen or played there regularly, especially at the Jazzhus Montmartre. Danish labels recorded them.

What is the Danish Debut label? A label from the small town of Brande that reissued recordings from the American Debut label and made its own, such as “Sahib’s Jazz Party” by Sahib Shihab (1964).

How can I tell a Danish edition? By “Made in Denmark” on the label and the Danish catalogue number – DEB at Debut, SCS at SteepleChase. Whether it is a first pressing is shown by the label variant, matrix and sleeve.

When was SteepleChase founded? In 1972 in Copenhagen, by Nils Winther.