Archie Shepp 1960s classics first releases from revived BYG/Actuel label as catalogue gets reissued

BYG was an acronym of the founders of the label ­– Fernand Boruso, Jean-Luc Young and Jean Georgakarakos – and the trio’s primary aim was to record and capture a growing market of 'free-style' jazz-oriented artists and exponents of avant-garde music that were beginning to emerge at the close of the 1960s. Artists as Archie Shepp, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sun Ra, Paul Bley, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Sonny Sharrock and others featured on the BYG Records label’s Actuel imprint, with its famous ‘smiling Buddha’ logo. The 50 or so LPs issued by BYG between 1969 and 1972 have long been out of print (save for some re-releases by an Italian label around the turn of the century) and are highly sought after by collectors.

After its inception in 1973/74, BYG merged with Charly Records as Jean-Luc Young, one of the three BYG founders, had set up the Charly imprint in 1974, but kept the BYG catalogue on his own. Now Charly Records will be re-releasing the vast majority of its catalogue on CD, hi-res download and, of course of vinyl over the next three years. The LPs have been carefully remastered from the original tapes and have been cut for vinyl by experts at AIR Studios in London. The original sleeves will be faithfully reproduced, and top writers – including Jazzwise scribe Kevin Le Gendre – have provided new sleevenotes.

First two jazz records out of the block are two Archie Shepp classics: Yasmina, A Black Woman; and Blasé, both from 1969 (pictured above).

For more info visit bygrecords.bandcamp.com and charlydirect.com/products/yasmina-a-black-woman and charlydirect.com/products/blase

• Look out for a feature on BYG/Actuel in the March 2023 issue of Jazzwise