Original Jazz Classics

Original Jazz Classics on vinyl: the great jazz albums at a fair price

In short: Original Jazz Classics – OJC for short – is a series from Fantasy Records in California. From 1982 Fantasy used it to reissue the classics of the Prestige, Riverside and Contemporary labels, with the original cover. If you want to hear Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans or Wes Montgomery on vinyl without paying hundreds of euros for a first pressing, this is the place. The Vinyl Room currently has 88 OJC records.

From our stock

Hard bop

Bebop & cool jazz

Swing

New in

→ Prestige · Riverside · Contemporary · Jazz on vinyl

What makes Original Jazz Classics special?

Fantasy Records had gradually bought the catalogues of some of the most important jazz labels: Prestige, Riverside, Contemporary and others. Instead of hiding the albums in new sleeves, Fantasy reissued them in the OJC series as they had first appeared – with the original cover and the original notes on the back, plus a small OJC mark and its own OJC number.

That way you can get albums whose first pressings are rare and expensive today: Sonny Rollins’ “The Sound Of Sonny”, “The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery”, the Bill Evans Trio’s “Moon Beams”, Kenny Dorham’s “Quiet Kenny” or Cannonball Adderley’s “Portrait Of Cannonball”. Add swing and blues: Duke Ellington, Meade Lux Lewis and Ida Cox.

First pressing or OJC?

OJC records are reissues, not the original first releases of the albums – that’s their advantage on price. You can recognise them by the OJC mark on the cover and the OJC number on the label and back. If you’re looking for an original, check the Prestige, Riverside and Contemporary label pages – first pressings are marked there.

FAQ

What does OJC mean? Original Jazz Classics – a series from Fantasy Records that, from the eighties, reissued albums from Prestige, Riverside, Contemporary and other labels.

Are OJC records first pressings? Not in the sense of the original first release. They are reissues with the original cover. In return they’re much cheaper.

How do I recognise an OJC edition? By the OJC mark on the cover and the OJC catalogue number on the label and back.

What music do you have in the OJC series? Almost only jazz – hard bop, bebop, cool jazz and swing, 88 records in all.