Concord Records
From Free net encyclopedia
| Concord Records | |||
| Image:Concordjazzlogo.png | |||
| Parent company | Concord Music Group | ||
| Founded | 1972 | ||
| Founder(s) | Carl Jefferson | ||
| Distributing label | Concord Records (In the US) | ||
| Genre(s) | Various | ||
| Country | US | ||
| Web address | http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/ | ||
Concord Records is a well-known Beverly Hills, California based jazz record label. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his Ford agency to found "the jazz label I can never find in record stores." Since then, the label has achieved international recognition, as well as 88 Grammy Award nominations and 14 Grammy Awards.
The label issues a large number of live recordings from festivals and other venues, including a series started in 1990 of piano recitals from Maybeck Hall in Berkeley, California by many of the most well-known jazz pianists.
Concord includes a family of specialized labels, including Concord Picante for latin jazz and Concord Concerto for classical music. Artists who have recorded for Concord include:
- Barry Manilow
- Ray Brown
- Dave Brubeck
- Carl Fontana
- Scott Hamilton
- Gene Harris
- Susannah McCorkle
- Marian McPartland
- Poncho Sanchez
- George Shearing
- Mel Torme
Emerging "mini-major" company
In 1999, Concord Records was purchased by a consortium led by television producer Norman Lear, and moved its offices in 2002 from Concord to Beverly Hills. Its catalog was greatly enhanced in 2004 with the purchase of Fantasy Records. The company is now known as Concord Music Group.
On December 19, 2005, it was announced that the group had purchased Telarc Records and its subsidiary Heads Up, in a deal whose terms have not been divulged.[1]