American. Pablo Today was a branch of Norman Grantz's 'Pablo' label (q.v.). According to Billboard of the 21st of April 1979 it was intended to venture into areas outside mainstream Jazz, such as Jazz Fusion. It concentrated on albums, many of which appear not to have been released in Britain. The only single I have seen on the label, Paulinho Da Costa's, 'Deja Vu (STEP-3)' came out in September 1979 and was aimed at the Disco market; it had a matrix number of 2018-005, which makes it a successor to the four singles which were issued on the Pablo label proper. It was part of Polydor's short-lived 'Steppin' Out' Disco series, which accounts for the STEP-3 catalogue number and the sleeve: the other singles in the series were on Polydor. Manufacture and distribution were by Phonodisc in Britain, which accounts for the dull injection-moulded labels. There was also a 12" version of the single, which numbered STEPX-3; it had purple-and-white-halved paper labels with the Pablo logo in white on the purple (top) half.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.