Short lived tenures

Silentseason

Active Member
Walter Wanderley only did two albums and Antonio Carlos Jobim only did three albums, respectively, for CTI/A & M. Seeking information or opinions as to why such a limited output for these two greats.
 
One possibility ( just a guess) probably Wanderley and Jobim might have been under contract to other Labels or Companies either that or their albums on CTI/A&M may not have sold enough to warrant being kept on the Label then again It could be Anything or a combination of things again this is just my guess but it would be interesting to find out the Real Reason.
 
For artists not already considered "great," record contracts have zero to do with greatness and everything to do with sales potential. The artists mentioned probably had deals for the number of albums they produced, and when those contracts were up, either the label decided not to exercise its option; or, maybe they got better offers from some other label.

A&M of course had a reputation for sticking with their artists for multiple albums even if the albums weren't selling wonderfully. (See: Peter Frampton, Supertramp, Carpenters, and others who weren't out-of-the-box hits on the first try....and others, like Phil Ochs or Claudia Longet, who never really became big sellers but yet released multiple A&M albums.) These two were on CTI, which was only distributed by A&M, so that'd be a whole different company deciding on whether to extend contracts or not.
 
Thanks for the feedback. It makes sense that since it was Creed's label so to speak he could keep his roster as he saw fit. It is really a shame that times had changed by the late 60's/early 70's. I think that it wasn't for the better as far as options available. Certainly the Brazilian sound did not have the selling power as it once did. Which is a shame when you consider that Jobim was at a creative peak with the Tide/Stone Flower sessions. Consider that other really good groups like Tamba 4 only put out a small amount and I really think it is a great loss that music like this didn't have the capacity to stay afloat in the commercial world.

Another question for those in the know: can anyone give me an idea of what a CTI album might have cost to produce? It seems that Creed's relationship with Rudy Van Gelder would have helped keep the costs down, and albums back then didn't take an exorbitant time to record and produce.
 
Let's remember, too, that CTi/A&M was a three-year deal. Not much time to put out more than a couple of albums, really. Wes Montgomery and George Benson did three each during that time. They were the only ones.

Jobim went with Creed and released a third album (STONE FLOWER) on the new CTI. Quincy Jones and Paul Desmond on the other hand, stayed with A&M for their follow-ups (SMACKWATER JACK and BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER, respectively).
 
...and, it appears Wanderley stopped recording for the U.S. market after MOONDREAMS. THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL was a Brazil-only release in 1972 that got limited release on a small U.S. label in 1977.
 
Back
Top Bottom