Black Jazz Records facts for kids

Black Jazz Records was a cool jazz record company. It was started in Oakland, California by pianist Gene Russell and percussionist Dick Schory. Their main goal was to help young African American jazz musicians and singers share their amazing talent.

Between 1971 and 1975, Black Jazz Records released twenty albums. Some famous artists who recorded for them included Cleveland Eaton, who played bass for Count Basie and Ramsey Lewis. Also, organist and pianist Doug Carn released four albums, which were the most popular on the label. Doug Carn's wife at the time, Jean Carn, sang on his albums. She later became a successful R&B singer named Jean Carne.

Another artist, Kellee Patterson, was the first black Miss Indiana in 1971. She then recorded her first album, Maiden Voyage, with Black Jazz Records in 1973. The company Ovation Records, a country and western label from Chicago, helped Black Jazz Records with money and distribution. Dick Schory also founded Ovation Records. Black Jazz Records was special because it was thought to be the first jazz label started by an African American since John and Reb Spikes created Sunshine Records way back in 1921.

The Story of Black Jazz Records

Black Jazz Records began in 1969. Their first four albums came out on August 1, 1971. Gene Russell, a jazz pianist, and Dick Schory, a Grammy-nominated percussionist, were the founders. Dick Schory was also known for new stereo recording methods. He started Ovation Records in 1969 after leaving RCA.

Ovation Records gave money to Black Jazz Records and helped sell their music. Gene Russell was in charge of finding and developing artists (this is called A&R). He also produced and engineered the first albums. Gene Russell had full artistic control through his company, GR Productions.

Music for the Community

Gene Russell wanted Black Jazz Records to be for the Black community. All the artists on the label were African American. The label offered a different kind of jazz. It often had a political or spiritual feel, sometimes mixed with funk music. Black Jazz released many styles, like funk, free jazz, and soul jazz.

The album covers were also unique. They had a special design that let the title show no matter how albums were placed in record store racks. All albums had white letters on a black background. The liner notes (information inside the album) and musicians were always listed in the same spot.

Promoting the Music

Gene Russell organized a tour to promote the label in September 1971. He and his marketing helper, Ray Lawrence, did interviews on radio, TV, and in newspapers. They wanted to show off the label and its artists. A 1974 Billboard magazine article said that Doug Carn sold more records than famous artists like Dave Brubeck and Ramsey Lewis at that time. Black Jazz Records lasted for six years, closing down in 1975.

Finding Black Jazz Again

James Hardge's Role

Gene Russell closed Black Jazz Records in 1975. He wanted to focus on his new label, Aquarican Records. He hoped to move Black Jazz artists to this new label. But he didn't sign his first artist, Talita Long, until 1980. Talita Long recorded with Gene Russell and Henry Franklin. She is also the mother of actress Nia Long.

Gene Russell passed away in 1981. The albums from Black Jazz Records became hard to find. Then, in 1986, James Hardge, Jr. bought the original master recordings of the label. By the early 1990s, he had re-released all the albums on compact disc. He even put out a new album by Doug Carn.

New Popularity

Interest in Black Jazz grew again in the early 1990s. Doug Carn's songs like "Infant Eyes" became very popular in England and Japan. The label's music also became famous because hip-hop artists like Ice Cube and A Tribe Called Quest used parts of their songs (called samples).

This new demand led to many bootleg copies of Black Jazz music being sold. James Hardge tried to sell the CDs online but it didn't work well. In 2011, he even offered Black Jazz Records for sale on Craigslist. Later, a Japanese label called Snow Dog Records got the rights to the Black Jazz music.

Snow Dog Records' Efforts

Snow Dog Records got the rights to Black Jazz Records in 2012. They started re-releasing the albums as their first big project. These new versions had better sound (they were remastered). They also included new liner notes and photos that had never been seen before. Snow Dog Records also released a series of remixes of Black Jazz songs. These were made by DJs from Japan, Germany, and the United States, including DJ Mitsu and Gilles Peterson.

Black Jazz's Lasting Impact

The music of Black Jazz Records lives on today. This is thanks to re-releases of their albums, remixes, and samples used by DJs and hip-hop artists. Sometimes, former Black Jazz artists also perform music from their old recordings.

For example, Doug Carn, Rudolph Johnson, and Henry Franklin formed the Black Jazz Allstars. They played shows in San Francisco, California in 2000. Guitarist Calvin Keys joined Henry Franklin and Carl Burnett for a tribute concert in 2011. It was called "Heroes of Black Jazz, a Tribute to Gene Russell."

Calvin Keys' first album, Shawn-Neeq, was originally recorded with Black Jazz Records in 1971. It was re-released in 2012. Keys celebrated by playing the whole album at Yoshi's jazz club in San Francisco, California in 2012. Also, Doug Carn and his ex-wife Jean Carne played together at the Savannah Jazz Festival in Savannah, Georgia in 2013.

Black Jazz Records Discography

Black Jazz Releases Under Snow Dog Records

Re-mix Series

Musicians

• Gene Russell - Piano
• Calvin Keys - Guitar
• Walter Bishop, Jr. - Piano
• Henry Franklin - Bass
• Doug Carn - Piano, Organ, Keyboards
• Jean Carn - Vocalist
• Cleveland Eaton - bass
• Kellee Patterson - Vocalist
• The Awakening - Instrumental Group
• Chester Thompson - Organ
• Rudolph Johnson - Saxophone