Commodore Records
Commodore Records, founded 1938: jazz artists and albums on the label.
Artists on Commodore Records
Billie Holiday
1915–1959 · American jazz singer (1915–1959)
Lester Young
1909–1959 · American jazz saxophonist (1909–1959)
Frank Wess
1922–2013 · American saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger
Eddie Condon
1905–1973 · US musician (1905–1973)
Sidney De Paris
1905–1967 · American musician (1905–1967)
Label profile
Independent record label founded 1938 by , as an offshoot of his legendary mid-Manhattan Commodore Music Shop. Commodore was the first American record company whose principal motivation was a deep love for jazz and a desire to celebrate the music and its performers.
The label's major body of work is from the 1940's, releasing sides by artists like , , , , , , and , among others. Milt Gabler worked for the Decca label as A&R and producer from the early 40's. Commodore ceased operating as a recording company in 1954, but Decca later on used the label as jazz re-release platform.
When Billie Holiday approached her recording label, regarding the song Strange Fruit, the company feared reaction by record retailers in the southern United States, as well as negative reaction from affiliates of its co-owned radio network, CBS. When Holiday's producer also refused to record it, she turned to her friend Milt Gabler, who worked out a special arrangement with to record and distribute the song. Columbia gave Holiday a one-session release from her contract so that she could record the song. The entire output of the label was reissued by Mosaic Records in three sets containing 66LPs in total
Profile from Discogs (CC0)