Savoy Records | |
---|---|
![]() Savoy disc from the 1940s | |
Parent company | Concord |
Founded | 1942 |
Founder | Herman Lubinsky |
Distributor(s) | Universal Music Group |
Genre | Jazz, R&B, gospel |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Newark, New Jersey |
Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey.[1] Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music.
In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music.[2]
History
In the 1940s, Savoy recorded some of the biggest names in jazz, including Charlie Parker, Erroll Garner, Dexter Gordon, J. J. Johnson, Fats Navarro, and Miles Davis. In 1948, it began buying other labels: Bop, Discovery, National, and Regent. It also reissued music from Jewel Records.[1] In the early 1960s, Savoy briefly recorded several avant-garde jazz artists. These included Paul Bley, Bill Dixon, Charles Moffett, Perry Robinson, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, Marzette Watts, and Valdo Williams.
After Lubinsky's death in 1974, Clive Davis, then manager of Arista Records, acquired Savoy's catalogue. After that, Joe Fields of Muse Records purchased the catalogue from Arista. In 1986, Malaco Records acquired Savoy's black gospel titles and contracts.[3]
In 1991, Nippon Columbia acquired Savoy and its library, and distributed Savoy releases through its wholly owned subsidiary, Savoy Jazz. In 2003, Savoy Jazz acquired the rights to the Muse and Landmark catalogues from 32 Jazz.[4] In 2009, the label entered a distribution arrangement with Warner Music Group.[5] Savoy included the rock imprint 429 Records.
Many of the label's African American artists begrudged the label's founder, Herman Lubinsky, feeling underpaid for their work. Tiny Price, a journalist for the African American newspaper The Newark Herald News, said of Savoy and Lubinsky:
There's no doubt everybody hated Herman Lubinsky. If he messed with you, you were messed. At the same time, some of those people, many of them Newark's top singers and musicians, would never have been exposed on records if he didn't do what he did. Except for Lubinsky, all the hot little numbers, like Buddy Johnson's "Cherry", would have been lost. The man may have been hated, but he saved a lot of our history for us and for future generations.[6]
Savoy's artistic directors included Buck Ram, Teddy Reig, Ralph Bass (1948–1952), Fred Mendelsohn (1953), and Ozzie Cadena (1954–1962).
Discography
The following are 12" LPs and have the prefix MG.
Cat | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|
12000 | Charlie Parker | Memorial 1 |
12001 | Charlie Parker | Immortal Charlie Parker, The |
12002 | Erroll Garner | Penthouse Serenade |
12003 | Erroll Garner | Serenade to Laura |
12004 | Marian McPartland | At Storyville/At the Hickory House |
12005 | Marian McPartland | Lullaby of Birdland |
12006 | Kenny Clarke | Telefunken Blues |
12007 | Kenny Clarke and Ernie Wilkins | Kenny Clarke & Ernie Wilkins |
12008 | Erroll Garner/Billy Taylor | Back to Back |
12009 | Charlie Parker | Memorial 1 |
12010 | J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding | Jay and Kai |
12011 | Fats Navarro | Fats, Bud, Klook, Sonny, Kinney |
12012 | Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray | Jazz Concert – West Coast |
12013 | Coleman Hawkins | The Hawk Returns |
12014 | Charlie Parker | Genius of Parker |
12015 | Eddie Bert | Musician of the Year |
12016 | Marian McPartland/George Shearing | Great Britain's Marian McPartland & George Shearing |
12017 | Kenny Clarke | Bohemia After Dark |
12018 | Cannonball Adderley | Presenting Cannonball Adderley |
12019 | Eddie Bert | Encore |
12020 | Dizzy Gillespie | Groovin' High |
12021 | Nat Adderley | That's Nat |
12022 | Ernie Wilkins and Frank Wess | Flutes & Reeds |
12023 | Hank Jones | The Trio |
12024 | Ray McKinley | Borderline |
12025 | Boyd Raeburn | Man with the Horns |
12026 | Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson | Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson |
12027 | Jimmy Scott | Very Truly Yours |
12028 | John Mehegan | Reflections |
12029 | Eddie Bert/John Mehegan/Donald Byrd | Montage |
12030 | Chuz Alfred, Ola Hanson and Chuck Lee | Jazz Young Blood |
12031 | LaVergne Smith | New Orleans Nightingale |
12032 | Donald Byrd | Byrd's Word |
12033 | Al Caiola | Deep in a Dream |
12034 | Pee Wee Russell | Jazz at Storyville 1 |
12035 | Wild Bill Davison | At Storyville |
12036 | Milt Jackson | Opus de Jazz |
12037 | Hank Jones | Quartet-Quintet |
12038 | Mutt Carey and Punch Miller | New Orleans Jazz 1 |
12039 | Joe Roland | Joltin' Joe Roland |
12040 | Boyd Raeburn | Boyd Meets Stravinsky |
12041 | Various Artists | Jazz at Storyville 2 |
12042 | Milt Jackson | Roll 'Em Bags |
12043 | Various Artists | The Jazz Keyboard |
12044 | Ernie Wilkins | Top Brass |
12045 | Charles Mingus | Jazz Composers Workshop |
12046 | Modern Jazz Quartet | The Quartet |
12047 | Dizzy Gillespie | The Champ |
12048 | Al Cohn | Al Cohn's Tones |
12049 | John Mehegan and Eddie Costa | A Pair of Pianos |
12050 | Mutt Carey and Punch Miller | New Orleans Jazz 2 |
12051 | Mike Cuozzo | Mighty Mike |
12052 | Johnny Costa | The Amazing Johnny Costa |
12053 | Hank Jones | The Trio with Guests |
12054 | Cal Tjader/Don Elliot | Vibrations |
12055 | Wild Bill Davison | Ringside at Condon's |
12056 | Phil Urso | The Philosophy of Urso |
12057 | Al Caiola | Serenade in Blue |
12058 | Marlene VerPlanck | I Think of You |
12059 | Jazz Composers Workshop | Jazz Composers Workshop 2 |
12060 | Various Artists | Singin' & Swingin′ |
12061 | Milt Jackson | Meet Milt Jackson |
12062 | Terry Gibbs | Swing, Not Spring |
12063 | Joe Wilder | Wilder 'n' Wilder |
12064 | Hank Mobley | The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley |
12065 | Kenny Clarke | Klook's Clique |
12066 | Herbie Brock | Solo |
12067 | Slam Stewart | Bowin' Singin' Slam |
12068 | Lester Young | Blue Lester |
12069 | Herbie Brock | Brock's Tops |
12070 | Milt Jackson | The Jazz Skyline |
12071 | Lester Young | The Master's Touch |
12072 | Frank Wess | North, South, East....Wess |
12073 | Mort Herbert | Night People |
12074 | Kai Winding | Loaded |
12075 | Ronnie Ball | All About Ronnie |
12076 | John Mehegan | How I Play Jazz Piano |
12077 | Chuck Wayne | The Jazz Guitarist |
12078 | Frank Foster | No 'Count |
12079 | Charlie Parker | Story |
12080 | Milt Jackson | Jackson's Ville |
12081 | George Wallington | Trio |
12082 | Johnny Coates | Portrait |
12083 | Kenny Clarke | Jazzmen: Detroit |
12084 | Jones, Hank | Have You Met Hank Jones |
12085 | Frank Wess and Kenny Burrell | Opus in Swing |
12086 | Frank Wess | Trombones |
12087 | Hank Jones | Hank Jones' Quartet |
12088 | Red Norvo | Move! |
12089 | Art Pepper | Surf Ride |
12090 | Ben Pollack | Dixieland (Pick-a-rib Boys) |
12091 | Lee Morgan | Introducing Lee Morgan |
12092 | Hank Mobley | Jazz Message No. 2 |
12093 | Red Norvo/George Shearing | Midnight on Cloud 69 |
12094 | Paul Smith | By the Fireside |
12095 | Frank Wess | Jazz for Playboys |
12096 | Ernie Wilkins | Trumpets All Out |
12097 | Marian McPartland | Lookin' for a Boy |
12098 | Georgie Auld/Bobby Sherwood | Jumpin' Bands, The (never issued) |
12099 | Charlie Byrd | Jazz Recital |
12100 | Various Artists | I Just Love Jazz Piano (Pianos: Down & Out) |
12101 | Billy Ver Planck | Dancing Jazz |
12102 | A. K. Salim | Flute Suite |
12103 | Yusef Lateef | Jazz Mood |
12104 | Andre Hodeir | Essais |
12105 | Stan Getz | Lestorian Mode |
12106 | J.J. Johnson | J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets |
12107 | Herbie Mann | Mann Alone |
12108 | Herbie Mann | Yardbird Suite |
12109 | Yusef Lateef | Jazz for the Thinker |
12110 | Dizzy Gillespie | Dizzy Gillespie Story |
12111 | Dizzy Reece and Tubby Hayes | Changing the Jazz at Buckingham Palace |
12112 | Sahib Shihab/Herbie Mann | The Jazz We Heard Last Summer |
12113 | Andre Hodeir | The Paris Scene |
12114 | Stan Getz | Opus De Bop |
12115 | A. K. Salim/Yusef Lateef | Stable Mates |
12116 | Charlie Byrd | Blues for Night People |
12117 | Yusef Lateef | Prayer to the East |
12118 | A. K. Salim | Pretty for the People |
12119 | Various Artists | In the Beginning ... Bebop! |
12120 | Yusef Lateef | Jazz and the Sounds of Nature |
12121 | Billy Ver Planck | Jazz for Playgirls |
12122 | George Wallington | Jazz at Hotchikiss |
12123 | Frank Wess | Jazz Is Busting Out All Over! |
12124 | Sahib Shihab | Jazz Sahib |
12125 | Various Artists | Many Faces of Blues, The |
12126 | Various Artists | Jazz Hour, The |
12127 | Wilbur Harden | Mainstream 1958 |
12128 | Bobby Donaldson | Dixieland Jazz Party |
12129 | Various Artists | Jazz Carousel, A (never issued) |
12130 | Dexter Gordon | Dexter Rides Again |
12131 | Wilbur Harden | Jazz Way Out |
12132 | A. K. Salim | Blues Suite |
12133 | Fats Navarro | Nostalgia |
12134 | Wilbur Harden | Plays the King and I |
12135 | Various Artists | Gift of Jazz |
12136 | Wilbur Harden | Tanganyika Strut |
12137 | Gigi Gryce | Nica's Tempo |
12138 | Various Artists | Bird's Night |
12139 | Yusef Lateef | Dreamer |
12140 | Yusef Lateef f | The Fabric of Jazz |
12141 | Curtis Fuller | Blues-ette |
12142 | Frank Wess | Opus de Blues |
12143 | Curtis Fuller | The Curtis Fuller Jazztet |
12144 | Curtis Fuller | Imagination |
12145 | Duke Jordan/Hall Overton | Do-It-Yourself Jazz |
12146 | Gigi Gryce | Do-It-Yourself Jazz |
12147 | Cecil Payne | Patterns of Jazz |
12148 | Red Rodney | Fiery |
12150 | Jimmy Scott | The Fabulous Jimmy Scott |
12151 | Curtis Fuller | (never issued) |
12152 | Charlie Parker | An Evening at Home |
12153 | Miles Davis | Miles Ahead (never issued) |
12154 | Booker Ervin | Cookin' |
12155 | Lester Young | Jazz Immortal Series 2 |
12156 | Johnny Rae | Opus De Jazz 2 |
12157 | Tony Argo | Jazz Argo |
12158 | Bucky Pizzarelli and Vinnie Burke | Music Minus Many Men |
12160 | Bill Barron | The Tenor Stylings of Bill Barron |
12161 | Barbara Long | Voice of Barbara Long, The |
12162 | Art Tatum | (never issued) |
12163 | Bill Barron | Modern Windows |
12164 | Curtis Fuller | Images of Curtis Fuller |
12167 | Gabe Baltazar | (never issued) |
12169 | Sun Ra | The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra |
12170 | Bill Hardman | Saying Something |
12171 | Art Blakey | Midnight Session |
12172 | New York Jazz Ensemble | Adams Theme |
12173 | Mathews, Mat | Four French Horns Plus Rhythm |
12174 | Teddy Charles | The Vibe-rant Quintet |
12175 | New York Jazz Quartet | Gone Native |
12176 | Various Artists | The Giants of Jazz |
12177 | Pery Robinson | Funk Dumpling |
12178 | Bill Dixon and Archie Shepp | Archie Shepp – Bill Dixon Quartet |
12179 | Charlie Parker | Bird Returns |
12180 | Jack Brokensha | And Then I Said |
12181 | Jimmy Scott | If You Only Knew |
12182 | Paul Bley | Footloose! |
12183 | Bill Barron | Hot Line |
12184 | Bill Dixon/Archie Shepp | Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5 |
12185 | Joseph Scianni | New Concepts |
12186 | Charlie Parker | Newly Discovered Sides |
12187 | Vinson Hill | Vinson Hill Trio |
12188 | Valdo Williams | New Advanced Jazz |
12189 | Robert F. Pozar | Good Golly, Miss Nancy |
12190 | Marc Levin | The Dragon Suite |
12191 | Ed Curran | Elysa |
12192 | Paul Jeffrey | Electrifying Sounds |
12193 | Marzette Watts | The Marzette Watts Ensemble |
12194 | Charles Moffett | The Gift |
12195 | Doug Carn | Doug Carn Trio |
12196 | Various Artists | Jazz Concert West Coast |
12197 | Cozy Cole | Concerto for Cozy |
12198 | Jackie and Roy | Jazz Classics by Charlie Ventura's Band |
12199 | Pete Johnson | Pete's Blues |
12200 | Charlie Kennedy and Charlie Ventura | Crazy Rhythms |
12201 | John Jenkins and Donald Byrd | Jazz Eyes |
12202 | Charlie Ventura | East of Suez |
12203 | Don Byas | Free and Easy |
12204 | Dizzy Gillespie | Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Joe Carroll |
12205 | Various Artists | South Pacific Jazz |
12206 | Ronnell Bright | Bright's Spot |
12207 | Ben Pollack and Wingy Manone | Dixieland Strut |
12208 | Various Artists | We Dig Dixieland Jazz |
12209 | Curtis Fuller | Jazz ...It's Magic! |
12210 | Don Bagley | Jazz on the Rocks |
12211 | Pepper Adams | The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams |
12212 | Dorothy Ashby | The Jazz Harpist |
12213 | Various Artists | Dixieland Mainstream |
12214 | Wild Bill Davison/Bill Stafford | Dixieland |
12215 | Art Pepper and Sonny Red | Two Altos |
12216 | Joe Williams | Sings |
12217 | Various Artists | Singin' and Swingin' |
12218 | Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee | Down Home Blues |
12219 | Mildred Bailey | Mildred Bailey |
12220 | Various Artists | The Girls Sing |
12300 | Jimmy Scott | Very Truly Yours |
12301 | Jimmy Scott | The Fabulous Songs of Jimmy Scott |
12302 | Jimmy Scott | The Fabulous Voice of Jimmy Scott |
12303 | Bill Barron | Motivation |
12305 | Rock Ferrante | Rock 'n Rhythm |
13001 | A. K. Salim | Blues Suite |
13002 | Wilbur Harden | Plays the King and I |
13003 | Bobby Donaldson | Dixieland Jazz Party |
13004 | Wilbur Harden | Jazz Way Out |
13005 | Wilbur Harden | Tanganyika Strut |
13006 | Curtis Fuller | Blues-ette |
13007 | Yusef Lateef | The Dreamer |
13008 | Yusef Lateef | The Fabric of Jazz |
13009 | Frank Wess | Opus de Blues |
13010 | Curtis Fuller | Jazztet Feat. Benny Golson |
13011 | Curtis Fuller | Imagination |
13012 | Bucky Pizzarelli | Midnight Moods |
14002 | Nappy Brown | Sings |
14003 | Jimmy Scott | If You Only Knew |
14004 | Sammy Price | Rock |
14005 | Big Maybelle | Sings |
14009 | Various Artists | Angry Tenors |
14010 | Cozy Cole | Concerto for Cozy |
14011 | Big Maybelle | Candy |
14012 | Joe Turner | And the Blues'll Make You Happy, Too! |
14016 | Joe Turner | Careless Love |
14018 | Various Artists | House Rent Party |
14019 | Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee | Back Country Blues |
14025 | Nappy Brown | The Right Time |
14033 | Gene Ammons | Golden Saxophone |
14041 | Dud Bascomb | (never issued) |
14471 | Houston Person | The Gospel Soul of Houston Person |
16000 | Various Artists | Livin' With the Blues |
16002 | Esther Rolle | The Garden of My Mind |
16003 | Jimmy Scott | Can't We Begin Again |
Subsidiaries
- Acorn Records (1949‒51)
- Gospel Records (1958–early 1970s)
- Regent Records (1947‒64)
- Sharp Records (1960‒64)
See also
References
- ^ a b Rye, Howard; Kernfeld, Barry (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 506. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ "Concord acquires Savoy Label Group - and its 3,000+ recordings". Music Business Worldwide. September 21, 2017.
- ^ Bowman, Rob (2004). "The Malaco Story". Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Porter, Christopher (16 January 2003). "Savoy Acquires Muse & Landmark Catalogs". JazzTimes. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ "WEA Announces Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Legendary Savoy Label Group" (Press release). New York: Warner Music Group. February 28, 2005. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ Kukla, Barbara J. (1991). Swing City: Newark Nightlife 1925 50. Temple University Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-87722-874-4. LCCN 91003176.
Further reading
- Ruppli, Michel; Porter, Bob (1980). The Savoy label: a discography. Discographies, no. 2. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-31321199-X. LCCN 79007727. OCLC 5353729. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
External links
- Official website
- SavoyJazz.com
- Savoy Records Discography Project
- Savoy Records on the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project