Commodore Records was an American independent record label known for producing Dixieland jazz and swing. It is also remembered for releasing Billie Holiday's hit "Strange Fruit".
| Commodore Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Founder | Milt Gabler |
| Defunct | 1954 |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | New York City |
History
edit
Commodore Records was founded in the spring of 1938 by Milt Gabler,[1] a native of Harlem who founded the Commodore Music Shop in 1926 in Manhattan at 136 East 42nd Street (diagonally across the street from the Commodore Hotel), and from 1938–1941 with a branch at 46 West 52nd Street,[2]
Commodore's albums included dixieland music (Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison) and swing (Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines).[3] Commodore's biggest hit was "Strange Fruit" (backed with "Fine and Mellow") by Billie Holiday, which reached No. 16 on the charts on July 22, 1939.[4] The label was most active from 1939 to 1946.[5] The roster included Bud Freeman, Bobby Hackett, Edmond Hall, Hot Lips Page, Pee Wee Russell, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Muggsy Spanier, Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Lee Wiley, and Lester Young.[6]
Gabler arranged for recording and pressing to be done by the American Record Corporation (ARC),[1] then Reeves Transcription Services and Decca. In the early 1960s, a series of Commodore albums was compiled by Gabler and released by Mainstream.[1] In the late 1980s, Mosaic issued Commodore's complete recordings in three box-sets (LP).[5][1]
Billy Crystal, Gabler's nephew, compiled an album of songs dedicated to his uncle titled Billy Crystal Presents: The Milt Gabler Story.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Rye, Howard (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries. p. 498. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ Clayton, Peter; Gammond, Peter (1989). The Guinness Jazz Companion (2nd ed.). Enfield: Guinness Publishing. p. 65.
- ^ "Commodore Numerical Listings". The Online Discographical Project. June 3, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ Doyle, Jack (March 7, 2011). ""Strange Fruit" 1939". PopHistoryDig.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott (1998). "Labels". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott (eds.). All Music Guide to Jazz (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 1334. ISBN 0-87930-530-4.
- ^ Moos Pick, Margaret. "Riverwalk Jazz - Stanford University Libraries". riverwalkjazz.stanford.edu. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Billy Crystal: My Uncle Milt". NPR.org. 15 April 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
External links
edit- Commodore Records on the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project