MPS Records
The music production Schwarzwald ( MPS) is a record label with recordings of American, European and Japanese jazz musicians.
History and performers
It was founded in 1968 as the successor label of SABA Records in Villingen by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, who worked alongside Joachim -Ernst Berendt, Willi Fruth and Achim Hebgen as a producer. Besides their own productions first also titles of other record companies were acquired and distributed under license. Among the under contract with MPS performers included Oscar Peterson, Hans Koller, Horst Jankowski, George Duke, Erwin Lehn, Volker Kriegel, Albert Mangelsdorff, the Singers Unlimited and Wolfgang Dauner. In addition to the Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band but also included Jean -Luc Ponty, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano, Alphonse Mouzon, Monty Alexander or Dave Pike to the frequently presented artists.
Some of the productions originated in a private atmosphere in the living rooms of label founder Brunner-Schwer. But were also published photographs of the Berlin Jazz Festival and the Donaueschingen Music Festival and the New Jazz Meeting Baden -Baden. The recording studio in Villingen was later declared " due to its originality and integrity of the special rarity value of some pieces and the general documentary value " as a cultural monument.
MPS was the first German label that presented exclusively jazz productions. It is worth noting the wide stylistic range from swing to free jazz, rock, jazz and precursors of ethno-jazz. Other hallmarks of MPS were the high recording quality, but also an attractive design of the record sleeve (cover ) as well as information about artists, instrumentation and playing time. A part of that recordings have now been re-released on CD. The entire stock is quoted in an illustrated book.
In September 2009, a sale action took place on the grounds of the former studio instead of in Villingen, in which several thousand brand new vinyl records old MPS stocks were offered with more than 800 different titles.
Distribution
Was distributed from the label in 1971 by BASF, 1974 by Metronome Musik GmbH, Hamburg.
1983 Brunner-Schwer sold the rights to the Dutch Philips group. From there they went on to the Polydor, whose daughter Motor Music brought out individual recordings on CD from 1993.
In 1999, Universal Jazz program of the MPS- CD editions.
As of 2000 laid Speakers Corner Records single MPS albums new music records with original covers.
In January 2014, the Edel AG acquired the label of Universal Music Group for the Jazz Division Edel: Culture of the subsidiary Edel Germany GmbH.