Prestige

Prestige on vinyl: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and early Coltrane

In short: In the fifties Prestige was the workshop of modern jazz in New York. This is where the Miles Davis Quintet recorded the four famous albums “Cookin’”, “Relaxin’”, “Workin’” and “Steamin’” in 1956, where Sonny Rollins’ “Saxophone Colossus” came out, and where John Coltrane made his first albums as a leader. The Vinyl Room currently has 163 Prestige records, 89 of them first pressings.

What makes Prestige special?

Bob Weinstock founded Prestige in New York in 1949. The label worked fast: many sessions were done in a single day, often in Rudy Van Gelder’s studio – the same engineer who recorded for Blue Note. The result is a huge catalogue of hard bop, soul jazz and organ jazz. Particularly well represented here is the tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. Prestige also ran sub-labels such as New Jazz, Moodsville, Swingville and Bluesville.

Original or reissue?

Fantasy took over the label in 1971; from 1982 many Prestige albums came out again in the “Original Jazz Classics” (OJC) series. These editions are affordable and often good. You recognise originals from the fifties and sixties – as with any label – by label design, catalogue number, runout and cover together. With Prestige, too, the address on the label helps you date a pressing.

From our stock

Prestige first pressings

Hard bop

Soul jazz

Still sealed

→ Jazz on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained · Plattenparty on YouTube

FAQ

Which Miles Davis albums came out on Prestige? Among others the four quintet albums “Cookin’”, “Relaxin’”, “Workin’” and “Steamin’”, recorded on two days in 1956.

What is the difference between Prestige and New Jazz? New Jazz was a Prestige sub-label with its own catalogue, but from the same house.

Are Prestige OJC editions good? Many are: they sound decent and cost far less than originals. Collectors still look for the period pressings.

Are there sealed Prestige records? Yes, a few. You’ll find them above in the “Still sealed” row or in the filter under “Mint / Sealed”.