It is interesting to read opinions about record labels. I have always focused on artists. When thinking about labels I think it is important to think about the people who owned or managed them and how they treated their artists. I know Alfred Lion, founder and owner of Blue Note, cared about his artists and their art. He allowed (read-paid for) rehearsal time so that the artists had time to work on and perfect ideas. He also took a chance on new, young artists giving a start to a lot of future stars. He was a nurturing, caring person who worked with the artists to earn their trust. So if the BN catalog has an enviable list of accomplishment, it was earned. Contrast that with Bob Weinstock, founder and owner of Prestige, who was very tight fisted, refused to pay for rehearsal time, was known to be less than even handed. He was in NYC, so he had his pick of top talent, but many would not work for him. Still the Prestige catalog is impressive. Herman Lubinsky, founder and owner of Savoy records was an out and out schmuck. He cheated many artists, but he recorded people who needed to eat and again the Savoy catalog cannot be over looked. Norman Granz, owner of Norgranz, Verve and Pablo, was very good to his artists, promoted them mainly through his traveling concerts which he dubbed Jazz at the Philharmonic. This concert program became the blueprint for the modern music industry because here is the embryo for all major artist concert tours up to today. His body of work includes a stellar line up, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, it is almost end less and is essential. The next guy, perhaps the most important of all, must be John Hammond. I can't do the man justice here in just a few short sentences. Here is the guy who brought Bessie Smith and then Billie Holliday to prominence in the 1930's. He discovered Basie, promoted Goodman, encouraged integration with Hampton, Charlie Christian and arranged Robert Johnson to come to Carnegie Hall to appear at the famous 1938 concert. When Robert couldn't make it because he was murdered, John bided his time and introduced him to the public with his post humus CD set in the 1980s on Columbia. In the later years at Columbia he brought Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Ray Vaughn to the label. John also found time to help Vanguard develop their Jazz catalog, working for that label for about 5 years in the early to mid 1950s. The quality of the Vanguard recordings is considered to be second to none in that era in large part because of John Hammond. Sorry Rudy Van Gelder and Roy DuNann. There are so many others: Milt Gabler of Commodore, Harry Lim of Keynote, Les Schreiber of Black & White. Perhaps another day, I don't want to bore you all.
