ESP‐Disk’ (60s–70s free‐jazz label re‐emerged lately)
~ Label
Annotation
Founded by Bernard Stollman.
Has been reissued and/or distributed (in dubious conditions) by at least GetBack!, Abraxas, ... Nowadays, has gained control again over its catalog/distribution, although bootlegs/"previous distributors" are still in the wild.
New York based experimental, avant-garde, and free-jazz label owned and founded in 1963 by Bernard Stollman. The name was going to be Esperanto-Disk, but was shortened to ESP-Disk'. Originally it operated until 1976, when the label ran out of funding. It was not a financial success in the US, but gained recognition in Europe and Japan, where licensing agreements were made.
In 1992, Stollman licensed the catalog to the German label ZYX Music, which reissued all 115 titles on CD (the labels to be used for these releases are ESP Disk and ZYX Music; both ZYX Music and ESP Disk logos are used, although ESP Disk logo is neither the original version nor the new one). Around the same time, a number of titles were licensed to the Japanese label Venus Records; these used only the Venus Records logo. The ZYX deal lasted for 6 years, followed by a brief licensing agreement with the Dutch label Calibre (use Calibre and ESP Disk; the original ESP Disk logo is used) and subsequently the Italian Abraxas label. Abraxas claims to have an exclusive worldwide deal with ESP-Disk regarding the back-catalogue (which includes the manufacturing of LPs and CDs, distribution and sub-licensing). LPs and CDs are released either under the Get Back in-house label or ESP Disk (Italy) (which Abraxas regards as an in-house label; please note that these releases use the new logo).
In 2005 ESP Disk of New York resumed manufacturing and is bringing out reissues, previously unreleased material and new releases (using the original logo and new logo).
List of addresses and release years.
1st) 180 Riverside Drive, NY NY 10024 : ESP-1002 (1964) -- ESP-1028 (1966)
2nd) 5 Riverside Drive, NY NY 10023 : ESP-1055 (1966) (inbetween addresses)
3rd) 156 Fifth Avenue, NY NY 10010 : ESP-1029 (1966) -- ESP-2000 (1969)
4th) 300 W. 55, NY NY 10019 : ESP-2003 (1970) -- ESP-2051 (1970)
5th) Acorn Hill House, Krumville, NY 12447 : ESP-1080 (1969) -- ESP-3003 (1972)
6th ) 5 Riverside Drive, NY NY 10023 : ESP-2004 (1972) (inbetween addresses)
7th) 290 West End Ave, NY NY 10023 : ESP-1085 (1973) -- ESP-3021 (1975)
