Label Guide: Prestige
Prestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several subsidiaries.
Weinstock opened a record store for collectors in 1948 while still a teenager, next door to the Metropole Jazz Club in New York City. Jazz musicians would hang out and rehearse at the Club, and then migrate upstairs next door to his store and Weinstock got the idea to record these jazz stars.
The Prestige catalog contains a significant number of jazz classics, including renowned works by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and many others. For most of the 1950s and 1960s, recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder was responsible for recording the company's releases.
The company was sold to Fantasy Records in 1971 and Fantasy was purchased by Concord Records in 2005, so Prestige is now part of Concord Music Group.
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10inch Label Variation (I)
10inch Prestige label (1950s)
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10inch Label Variation (II)
10inch Prestige label (1950s)
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1. Label Variation
first Prestige label (1955 - 1958)
The first yellow and black 'Fireworks' label can be identified by the address '446 W. 50th St., N.Y.C.' printed on the top rim. It was in use for all original Prestige pressings until PRLP 7140, Ashby, Dorothy & Frank Wess: Hip Harp.
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2. Label Variation
second Prestige label (1958 - 1964)
The second yellow and black 'Fireworks' label can be identified by the address '203 South Washington Ave., Bergenfield, N.J.' printed on the top rim. Prestige numbers earlier than PRLP 7140 with this Bergenfield label are re-pressings, later numbers might be re-pressings as well as this second 'Fireworks' label was in use for several years and many bestselling titles were reprinted multiple times.
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3. Label Variation
third Prestige label (1958 - 1964)
The third silver and black 'Fireworks' label can be identified by the address '203 South Washington Ave., Bergenfield, N.J.' printed on the top rim. Used for early stereo pressings on the label.
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4. Label Variation (I)
fourth Prestige label (1964 - 1971)
The Trident Label was in use for the remainder of the 1960s. It exists in several variations where label colors and position and color of the trident have changed.
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4. Label Variation (II)
fourth Prestige label (1964 - 1971)
The Trident Label was in use for the remainder of the 1960s. It exists in several variations where label colors and position and color of the trident have changed.
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4. Label Variation (III)
fourth Prestige label (1964 - 1971)
The Trident Label was in use for the remainder of the 1960s. It exists in several variations where label colors and position and color of the trident have changed.
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5. Label Variation
fifth Prestige label (1971 - )
The modern 1970s Prestige label distributed by Fantasy Records, Berkeley, California.
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6. Label Variation
Prestige International label (early 1960s)
The modern 1970s Prestige label distributed by Fantasy Records, Berkeley, California.
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Dutch Prestige Label
Dutch Prestige label (1966)
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German Reissue Label
German Prestige Reissue label (1980s)