New CTI Website

[Captain Bacardi]

I just came across Creed Taylor's CTI website (www.ctirecords.com), which features photos and available CDs, as well as a bio on Taylor himself. I haven't seen anyone else mentioning this before, but Downbeat says it's a fairly new site.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Nice site Capt'n!

 

[Harry]

That is a nice site, but it's got some problems with its links to various recordings. For instance, on some pages, you'll see a thumbnail of a recording, say Jobim's Wave. If you click on that link, you'll go to:

http://ctirecords.com/wave/wave.html

which gives an HTTP 404 Not Found page.

But, if you change the second repeat of the title name in the URL to 'index', you'll get the correct page:

http://ctirecords.com/wave/index.html

Harry
...thinking the bugs haven't been worked out on that site, online...

 

[Rudy]

Nice idea, but it's just a front for an Amazon shop, far as I can tell. (Dead giveaway is "Free shipping over $25", and I recognize some of the reviewers. ) I Wonder how involved Creed Taylor was with its creation. I've seen other artists do the same thing. Very nice job with XML and datamining--they have more patience than I would.

IN other words, this site wasn't just created out of the goodness of CTi's heart...

 

[snapcrotch]

The 'break-beat' hustlers at this site actually have the chutzpah to refer to 70's jazz as "the golden era". Their ransacking revisionism of jazz history and the CTI library for the sake of funk snippets and beat 'samples' is insulting to everyone. I'll avoid this site, as they play flippery and slippery with the truth in their pursuit of profit.

 

[Rudy]

I saw a photo or two I wouldn't mind owning....but $600?? Heck, one of the Jobim photos I saw on eBay last year for $21. Granted it has premium printing and is matted, but that doesn't account for the other $579!

The 70's was a golden era for some things (perhaps CTi the label, and for fusion), but not for jazz in general. If you look up artists here, too, you will see a lot of Verve albums listed. Taylor produced those, but I would not classify them as CTi either.

Just checked the name though: ctirecords.com is apparently registered to Creed Taylor himself, and it's a bit ironic that the site is using the same hosting company we are here.

 

[snapcrotch]

Registered by Creed himself? Then maybe it's a job project for his nephews or grandchildren. Looking at how the CD product is mfg. by other companies, they're really a distribution house or 'satisfaction center' for Creed-heads, with a nice profit margin in those photos you mentioned. Whatever these punks are up to, Creed should be wary of how they affect his rep and tarnish his image.

 

[Rudy]

More info: I mentioned the name was "apparently" registered by Creed Taylor...his name IS on it. But my only concern is that it's quite easy for someone to register a name and put down anything they want for an 'organization' name. However, if someone did this and the *real* CTi Records came along and wanted the name, it could very well end up in court and being the legal entity called CTi Records, they would have a chance of getting the name back under their control.

Given that the address listed is in NYC (University Ave.), I'm inclined to think it IS Taylor's after all. I will give it one thing--someone went to a lot of work to do that site, especially if they are using Amazon for fulfillment like I think they might be. Plus, a mention in Downbeat is no small feat. No average Joe could pull that one off. Definitely some money behind the whole operation.

I'm not going to deny that I'm selling something here as well, but at least in this case, I use the proceeds to help pay for all the hosting and registration fees. I don't have a *huge* problem with what Creed Taylor's site is doing (I mean, heck, I'll never shop there anyway), but it's quite obvious it was put there to sell. Just wish it were more in-depth, or at least give us the courtesy of a complete discography, rather than Taylor-produced recordings that you can get just about anywhere.

And no mention of Pete Turner that I can find! Heck, if they were going to that expense and selling the big ticket items, it would be a natural for someone like Pete Turner to provide his custom work to sell on the site. FWIW, I couldn't afford something directly from Pete Turner anyway, but I plan to do at least get something while I'm still on this planet!

 

[Mr Bill]

If we assume Mr Taylor is no longer working for any label and he sees that his productions are being reissued by a number of labels, what's wrong with him creating a sales webpage under one of the names by which his music is best known? At the very least it will give him a cut of some of the profits that the evil owners of his catalog are taking. If it is indeed registered by him and the price is right, I see nothing wrong with using tthis site to buy excellent CTi product. More power to the man!

--Mr Bill

 

[Michael Hagerty]

And, hopefully, the added awareness of CTi product from the website will spark demand for reissues (and in some cases the first issues) of CTi albums on CD (is Jobim's Tide ALREADY out of print again???).

---Michael Hagerty

 

[Rudy]

And, hopefully, the added awareness of CTi product from the website will spark demand for reissues (and in some cases the first issues) of CTi albums on CD (is Jobim's Tide ALREADY out of print again???).

This would be the biggest benefit, IMHO. Or maybe it would push the labels to get a few of these relased in SACD.