Commodore Records

Commodore Records label

Commodore Records was a United States-based independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of jazz and swing music.

Commodore Records was founded in the spring of 1938 by Milt Gabler, who in 1926 had founded the Commodore Music Shop in Manhattan, New York City, originally at 136 East 42nd Street, and from 1938–41 with a branch at 46 West 52nd Street^[1] – an address commemorated in Chu Berry's 'Forty-six, West Fifty-two'. The bulk of Commodore's issues were of Dixieland jazz, though other styles also sometimes appeared on the label. Eddie Condon recorded frequently for the label, with such notables as George Brunies and Pee Wee Russell often in his band. Commodore was one of the first labels to list the full personnel of bands on the label.

Billie Holiday also recorded for Commodore (in 1939 and 1944), with "Strange Fruit" and "Fine and Mellow" first appearing on that label.

After World War II Gabler went to work for Decca Records, and his Commodore label was later used by Decca for reissuing earlier jazz recordings on LP.

Mosaic Records issued three LP sets of the label's complete output.

References

1. ^ Peter Clayton and Peter Gammond, The Guinness Jazz Companion (Enfield: Guinness Publishing, 2nd edn, 1989), p. 65.

See also

• List of record labels