Clef Records

Clef Records was an American jazz record label that was founded in 1946 by Norman Granz and existed until 1956.

The Clef label

The American impresario and producer Norman Granz founded in 1946 his first record label; then appeared on Clef especially the musicians who appeared on the organized by Granz Jazz at the Philharmonic tour concerts, such as Roy Eldridge, Billie Holiday, Gene Krupa, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Flip Phillips and Lester Young, but also Charlie Barnet, Count Basie, Buddy DeFranco, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Illinois Jacquet, Art Tatum and Artie Shaw. Many of the LP cover was designed by Granz ' long-time friend David Stone Martin.

One of the first Clef plates were pieces from the first JATP concert at the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Coleman Hawkins, Shorty Sherock, Neal Hefti and Charles Mingus on 12 February 1945. Granz started his first publications in the form of 78 rpm singles,

• The 89100 Series - First release was a recording of Harry Sweets Edison, Dexter Gordon and Nat King Cole in 1943 or 44 as Clef 8900 ( " I've Found a New Baby" )
• The 11000 series from 1947 as a 10 - inch ( 78 rpm) and 7 inch plate appeared ( 45 rpm), on the JATP recordings, titles of Lu Watters and the Mercury recordings of Charlie Parker; Then appeared on Clef also the first 10 -inch LPs, in the form of the Clef Series 100 ( 1947 ), 500 ( from 1949) and 600/700 ( from 1952 ) as the Billie Holiday productions Solitude and Music for Torching and Bud Powell's first album.

In 1953, Clef also brought 12 - inch LPs on the market; the first album was the Gene Krupa Trio at JATP. On the 1000 Series Granz released several albums by Fred Astaire; the 4000 Series was the series Norman Granz Jam Session and the publication of The Jazz Scene reserved. Recent recordings for Clef emerged in mid- 1956, as the recording of the Oscar Peterson Trio with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown (The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Festival Shakepearean ) and Harry Sweets Edison Album Sweets in September 1956; However, this no longer appeared at Clef Records, but on this year founded successor label Verve Records, for Norman Granz as early as January 1956 was the first title of Anita O'Day and Ella Fitzgerald import. Clef Records as well as his sister label created in 1953 Norgran Records were then incorporated into the Verve label.

Important Clef albums

One of the most important publications by Norman Granz was the Clef Anthology (MG VOL.1 ) Various Artists - The Jazz Scene; except some of the musicians mentioned it contained music of that jazz scene of Sonny Berman, Bill Harris, Hal McKusick, Herbie Steward, Lucky Thompson, Dodo Marmarosa, Don Lamond, Ralph Burns, Pete Candoli, Willie Smith, Barney Kessel, John LaPorta, Charlie Parker, Manny Albam, Tony Aless, Curly Russell, Shelly Manne, Coleman Hawkins ( "Picasso " ), Mario Bauza, Machito, Hank Jones, Oscar Pettiford and Duke Ellington ( " frustration ").

Norgran

Norman Granz let the musicians of modern jazz appear mainly on his newly formed label from 1953 Norgran; Clef ' was more veterans of the swing and mainstream jazz reserved; However, the two appeared on Norgran 10 -inch LPs Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio # 1 6 2 In the short period of its existence, appeared on the sister | label recordings as a 12 - inch LPs ( in 1000, 1100, 2000 and 3500 Series ) and others by Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Drew Sr., Tal Farlow, Bud Powell, Buddy DeFranco, Ben Webster, Anita O'Day, Johnny Hodges, Howard Roberts and the Modern Jazz Quartet.