Jazz indies and what else they did

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Following Jim Sangrey’s interesting thread about Prestige’s folk and international labels, I thought it would be useful to start a thread on what other indie jazz companies did along similar lines. During the period when the first generation of indie labels was developing (1936-1954), jazz was becoming less and less of a good business to be in, as most leaders of big bands were closing down their businesses (Duke Ellington and Buddy Johnson being the exceptions). So most of the firms involved in jazz developed alternative lines to keep the cash flowing.

The first indie to focus significantly on jazz was Commodore, which seems to have opened for business in 1934, reissuing other companies material, then Milt began making recordings in 1936. He also made pop records, on the Timely and Topical Tempo labels. There were probably also spoken word recordings issued on the Voices from History label.

In 1939, Savoy made its first recordings. Herman Lubinsky was the first of the jazz label proprietors to get involved with a wide variety of music (he was a friend of Eli Oberstein, proprietor of Varsity, who influenced him greatly). On the Acorn, King Solomon, Gospel, Sharp, Regent and World Wide subsidiary labels, Lubinsky issued gospel records in huge numbers, and to such good effect that, from the late sixties, Savoy concentrated on gospel music exclusively. He also issued budget classical albums, on the World Wide label, most if not all of which were bought in from a Russian company. And it’s well known that he also made very successful R&B records. Less well known is the fact that he issued C&W records, as well.

Keynote was the next jazz label to get involved in other music. As well as jazz, Eric Bernay and Harry Lim issued classical, folk and gospel records. In fact, the first record on an indie label to hit the R&B charts was a gospel record on Keynote.

During the war, a fair number of companies came into being whose main focus was R&B, but who recorded plenty of jazz as well: Black & White, King, Apollo, Regis, De Luxe, the Rene brothers’ Excelsior and Exclusive and Eli Oberstein’s follow up to Varsity, the variously named Elite/Hit/Majestic label. Some of these companies’ jazz output was very important.

During this period, Bob Thiele started Signature records. He also made a virtue of recording a wide range of material: pop, R&B, gospel, C&W, folk, international, spoken word and children’s records on the Hi-Tone, Shelton, Candy and Hanover labels.

In 1944, Norman Granz entered the business with the first JATP recording, (initially issued on Stinson and Disc). Norgran, Clef and Verve eventually had a good pop output (including Ricky Nelson’s first single) as well as a very successful comedy line.

Jewel, owned by Ben Pollack, and National, owned by Al B Green, opened up towards the end of the war and both were in the R&B, gospel and pop business, with National also making kiddies’ and C&W records.

Atlantic was the next jazz label to record a wide variety of music. The company is well known for its R&B recordings, but also recorded gospel and pop music, as well as comedy albums and rock later in its history.

American Music, which opened in 1949, and was well known for its recordings of traditional styles of jazz, also made gospel records.

It was also in 1949 that Bobby Weinstock opened up Prestige.

In 1950, Fantasy opened for jazz, R&B, comedy and classical music. Later, of course, rock.

Also in 1950, Teddy Reig opened up (Royal)Roost records and, in addition to jazz, issued R&B and pop recordings on the Legende, Scooter, Showcase and 3 Deuces labels.

The following year, Lester Koenig entered the field with Contemporary. Koenig made jazz records on the Contemporary, Good Time Jazz and California labels, and classical music on the Contemporary Classics and Society for Forgotten Music labels; the latter was run by Vernon Duke and some of his compositions appeared on the label.

Next year, Richard Bock opened up Pacific Jazz. PJ concentrated on jazz, as did Aura, but World Pacific issued international, pop and comedy albums, with some success.

Delmark started up in 1953 and is very well known for both jazz and blues.

So did Riverside, which made folk, comedy, spoken word, kiddies’ and gospel records as well.

Finally in this period, Bethlehem, which opened in 1954, was also involved in pop, R&B and C&W.

Blue Note and HRS are about the only significant jazz labels from the early days of the indies to have stuck to jazz exclusively.

MG

[Clunky]

Manor- for early Dizzy and R&B pop like Deek Watson

I love these small 40s labels

[J.A.W.]

Blue Note and HRS are about the only significant jazz labels from the early days of the indies to have stuck to jazz exclusively.

Van Morrison is a non-jazz artist who recorded for Blue Note.

[colinmce]

Thanks for this, very informative. I think, put in these terms, Verve's forays into folk and rock (Tim Hardin, The Velvet Underground) could almost be said to presage the moves Blue Note would make about 30 years later.

[jeffcrom]

One correction and qualification:

Bill Russell started American Music in 1944, not '49. And he never did more than dip his toe into styles other than traditional jazz. He issued two 78s by George Hornsby, a Pittsburgh gospel pianist, and one gospel side by Ann Cook. Cook had recorded a couple of excellent blues records in the 1920s, but twenty years later would only sing gospel songs. Russell never really got anything good enough to release out of Cook, but issued one side anyway. If you've heard it, you know that Ms. Cook drops beats and that trumpeter Wooden Joe Nicholas never did figure out what key they were in. But those two and a half records were the extent of AM's gospel issues, unless you count stuff like Bunk's Brass Band playing "Over in the Gloryland."

Russell also released one 78 by an Alabama string band, The Mobile Strugglers. He recorded enough by them that, in the CD era, their stuff filled half a CD.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

One correction and qualification:

Bill Russell started American Music in 1944, not '49. And he never did more than dip his toe into styles other than traditional jazz. He issued two 78s by George Hornsby, a Pittsburgh gospel pianist, and one gospel side by Ann Cook. Cook had recorded a couple of excellent blues records in the 1920s, but twenty years later would only sing gospel songs. Russell never really got anything good enough to release out of Cook, but issued one side anyway. If you've heard it, you know that Ms. Cook drops beats and that trumpeter Wooden Joe Nicholas never did figure out what key they were in. But those two and a half records were the extent of AM's gospel issues, unless you count stuff like Bunk's Brass Band playing "Over in the Gloryland."

Russell also released one 78 by an Alabama string band, The Mobile Strugglers. He recorded enough by them that, in the CD era, their stuff filled half a CD.

Thanks Jeff; never realised how little gospel AM recorded. Strike that one out then

As to the date, the only record dated in Galen Gart's ARLD is #533, dated as released in July 1949, so I just took that as the only reliable date. No details given of the proprietor. In about 1959, the address was 600 Chartres Street, New Orleans. Is that the same firm?

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks for this, very informative. I think, put in these terms, Verve's forays into folk and rock (Tim Hardin, The Velvet Underground) could almost be said to presage the moves Blue Note would make about 30 years later.

Yes, I forgot about those - Zappa, too.

MG

Manor- for early Dizzy and R&B pop like Deek Watson

I love these small 40s labels

Yes, I listed Regis (Manor's parent label) among the R&B firms that made some pretty significant jazz records. I couldn't be asked to list every one of those firms' subsidiary labels

MG

[Clunky]

Yes, I listed Regis (Manor's parent label) among the R&B firms that made some pretty significant jazz records. I couldn't be asked to list every one of those firms' subsidiary labels

MG

Thanks, I didn't know that, Regis is a new name to me.

[jeffcrom]

One correction and qualification:

Bill Russell started American Music in 1944, not '49. And he never did more than dip his toe into styles other than traditional jazz. He issued two 78s by George Hornsby, a Pittsburgh gospel pianist, and one gospel side by Ann Cook. Cook had recorded a couple of excellent blues records in the 1920s, but twenty years later would only sing gospel songs. Russell never really got anything good enough to release out of Cook, but issued one side anyway. If you've heard it, you know that Ms. Cook drops beats and that trumpeter Wooden Joe Nicholas never did figure out what key they were in. But those two and a half records were the extent of AM's gospel issues, unless you count stuff like Bunk's Brass Band playing "Over in the Gloryland."

Russell also released one 78 by an Alabama string band, The Mobile Strugglers. He recorded enough by them that, in the CD era, their stuff filled half a CD.

Thanks Jeff; never realised how little gospel AM recorded. Strike that one out then

As to the date, the only record dated in Galen Gart's ARLD is #533, dated as released in July 1949, so I just took that as the only reliable date. No details given of the proprietor. In about 1959, the address was 600 Chartres Street, New Orleans. Is that the same firm?

MG

American Music 533 is Basin Street Blues/Dinah by "Big Eye" Louis Delisle - indeed recorded and released in 1949. And yes, Bill Russell finally moved to New Orleans in the late 1950s. The label's activity in the fifties consisted mostly of issuing a few 10" LPs, which soon became as scarce and legendary as the 78s. AM was dormant in the 1960s, but in the '70s began leasing material to Storyville in Denmark and Dan in Japan. The Dan American Music series was excellent - lots of rare, previously unreleased material, with great pressings and packaging. Many of the tracks on the Dan releases didn't appear on the AM CD series that began in 1989, making them very desirable for American Music obsessives such as myself.

And those last few words explains this somewhat off-topic post, I guess.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Yes, I listed Regis (Manor's parent label) among the R&B firms that made some pretty significant jazz records. I couldn't be asked to list every one of those firms' subsidiary labels

MG

Thanks, I didn't know that, Regis is a new name to me.

Funnily enough, Regis appears to be a lot more obscure than its subsidiary, Manor. Irving Berman started Regis in '43 and seems not to have made any recordings after '46. He started Manor in '45 and continued until 1949. Savannah Churchill had several hits on Manor, including 2 that made the pop charts. No Regis records were hits. Berman started Arco in 1949 and appears to have continued the Manor numbering series on Arco. The last of the 1000 series on Manor dated in ARLD is #1195 (Aug '49); the first Arco is #1201 (Nov '49). No hits on Arco, either.

MG