[Dixielandjazz] Stereo? Mono?

[Bill Haesler]

 Marek Boym asked:
> Did Capitol still record monaural in 1959?  Audio Fidelity claimed to have issued the first stereo record back in 1957, and Capito was, aftr all, a stateof-the-art label, with wonderful sound (even if the music often left a lot to be desired).

Dear Marek,
The short answer is that Capitol 1959 commenced recording in stereo on 1959.
A quick google reveals the following:

"In 1959, with the advent of stereo, Capitol changed its LP label design from a large "dome logo" with a gray background to a smaller "dome logo" in a silver oval with a black background and a colorband around the edge. At first, the oval was on the left side of the label, with a tapering vertical line extending from the top and bottom. Classical labels replaced the vertical line with the words "INCOMPARABLE HIGH-FIDELITY" and added a round "FDS-Full Dimensional Sound" shield. In the early 1960s the oval was moved to the top of the label, while the colorband was slightly narrower. This design is familiar to fans of Beatles vinyl."

" 'Duophonic' was used as a trade name for the process by Capitol Records for re-releases of mono recordings from June 1961 through the 1970s. Capitol employed this technique in order to increase their inventory of stereo LPs, to satisfy retailer demand for more stereo content (and help promote the sale of stereo receivers and turntables). For nearly ten years, Capitol used the banner "DUOPHONIC-For Stereo Phonographs Only" to differentiate their true stereo LPs from the Duophonic LPs."

Back in the 1940s and 50s, we avid jazz collectors rarely bought Capitol records as, in our opinion, 'real' jazz performances on Capitol were few and far between (as they say). 
A quick look at the content of the 1997 8-CD Mosaic set, "Classic Jazz Sessions", shows why. (I have this.) 
    http://www.allmusic.com/album/classic-capitol-jazz-sessions-mw0000951785
    http://livingwithmusic.com/linkto/0170.pdf
Even the 1947 Pete Daily records (not on the Mosaic set) were considered a bit too 'dixielandish' to us mouldy figs at the time.
8>)
Very kind regards,
Bill.