Jazz/Labels
~+Jazz > The Jazz Labels Compendium +~ |
Quick links: Template:Navigation |
Content: |
Introductory Note
Jazz golden era is probably 45-70.
The 70s period resort mainly to Free Jazz, while the pre-40s period, although very interesting, somewhat lacks recorded material (most of what's available being reissued in anthologies by specialized labels).
There's of course a modern jazz, both by (quite old now) veterans, and by talented newcomers, but this is Yllona Richardson's territories - so she might talk about that better than me.
During a period (I would say until the 90s), labels buying other labels tend to reissue the bought catalogs under their own name (Fantasy reissues used the name Original Jazz Classics).
Recently though, now that all is left is "the 4 big ones" (Universal's Verve Music Group, the EMI Group, the Warner Music Group, Sony BMG), and the little one (Concord Music Group), such holdings tend to reissue stuff under the original label name, or even produce new stuff under that name, which of course are not to be confused with the "historical" labels/periods.
Independent labels
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
J
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
V
DEPRECATED
For a time, I used to push all label data on one page, which has quickly proved unmanageable. Below are the remains of this attempt, waiting to be properly migrated in the new one-label/one-page architecture.
Major Labels
Label Name/Site | Country | Active Period | Sold to | Discographic ressources | Subsidiaries | Comment |
Capitol (wp) | USA | 1942-? | EMI (1955) | Made a career out of messing records | ||
Columbia (wp) | USA | 1888-? | Sony (1988) | BothSides | ||
Contemporary (wp) | USA | 1951-1984 | Fantasy (1984) | JD.com | ||
EmArcy (wp) | USA | 1954-1962 | Verve Music Group | JD.com JD.org | Replaced by Limelight, then revived 80s | |
ESP (wp) | USA | 1966-? | JD.com Shut | Dormant and/or "distributed" by dubious european thingies (Axaras, GetBack!), the label came back to life in 2005 | ||
Dial (wp) | USA | 1946- | ??? | JD.com JD.org | Not to be confused with other Dial companies | |
Vocalion Records (wp) | USA/UK | 1916-1940 | Brunswick Records (1925) | Revived in the 50s as a budget label, and in 1997 as a reissue label (material from Decca and EMI). Alternate site | ||
Enja | DE | 1971 | Stuff JD.com | |||
Fantasy (wp) | USA | 1949- | Concord | Debut Records, Good Time, Prestige (1971), Riverside, Milestone (1972), Stax Records (1977), Contemporary (1984), Specialty Records (1991), Pablo (1987), Takoma Records, Kicking Mule Records (1995) | Gobbled a good number of jazz label, which were cd reissued in the 80s90s under the collection/label name Original Jazz Classics (apparently on mondays during 85-95) | |
Gennet Records (wp) | USA | 1917-1934 | Decca Records (1935) | Oldies from the 20s | ||
Impulse! (wp) | USA | 1960-late 70s | Verve Music Group | JD.com | Now a reissue label. Has been shortly revived for new stuff though. | |
Liberty Records (wp) | USA | 1955-? | EMI (?) | Pacific Jazz (1957), Blue Note (1965) | A complicated history also... | |
Limelight wp | USA | X | JD.com | Mercury subsidiary | ||
Milestone (wp) | USA | 1966-1972 | Fantasy | JD.com | Reissued stuff from Gennett Records | |
Mercury (wp) | USA (UK now) | 1945- | Verve Group | JD.org | Blue Rock Records, Cumberland Records, EmArcy Records, Fontana Records, Limelight Records, Philips Records, Smash Records and Wing Records | |
Original Jazz Classics (wp) | USA | 1983- | Is a sub/collection of Fantasy | Reissued on cd most stuff owned by OJC in the 80s-90s | ||
Pablo (wp) | USA | 1973 | Fantasy (1987) | JD.com JD.org | Fantasy continued to use the name to release stuff after 1987 | |
Prestige (wp) | USA | 1949-1971 | Fantasy (1971) | Plosin JD.org | Used funny coll. names like Swingsville, Bluesville, Moodsville, and "New Jazz" | The junkies label |
Riverside wp | USA | 1953-1963 | Fantasy (1972) | JD.com JD.org | ||
Verve (wp) | USA | 1956 | MGM (1961) -> Polygram -> Universal (=Verve Music Group) | JD.com JD.org | Norgran Records, Clef Records, Mercury/EmArcy | |
[Savoy USA] wp | USA | 1942-?1980? | Bop catalog sold to Arista Records (1974) | JD.com JD.org |