Antilles Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

founded as a division of

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. It began as a jazz label, recording

Joanne Brackeen Joanne Brackeen (born Joanne Grogan; July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. Music career Brackeen was born in Ventura, California, United States, and attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She was a fan of pop pi ...

Biréli Lagrène Biréli Lagrène (born 4 September 1966) is a French jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt–influenced style. He often performs in swing, jazz fusion, and post-bop styles. Biography Lagrène was born in ...

, and

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

, though its catalogue did expand to include eclectic musicians like

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

and

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...

. It was the first to introduce

the Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...

and

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

to American audiences. One of its founders was Jeff Walker, an employee at Island and the first A&R director for Antilles. In the 1990s, Antilles recorded Peter Apfelbaum,

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...

, and

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

. Polygram bought Island, Seagram's bought Polygram, and by the end of the decade Antilles stopped recording jazz.

Discography

*1001:

– ''

Special Identity ''Special Identity'' is an album by American pianist Joanne Brackeen recorded in 1981 and released on the Antilles label.Biréli Lagrène Biréli Lagrène (born 4 September 1966) is a French jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt–influenced style. He often performs in swing, jazz fusion, and post-bop styles. Biography Lagrène was born in ...

– ''Routes to Django'' (1980) *1003:

Heath Brothers The Heath Brothers was an American jazz group, formed in 1975 in Philadelphia, by the brothers Jimmy Heath, Jimmy (tenor saxophone), Percy Heath, Percy (bass), and Tootie Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums); and pianist Stanley Cowell. Tony Purr ...

– ''Brotherly Love'' (1981) *1004:

Ben Sidran Ben Hirsh Sidran (born August 14, 1943) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the Steve Miller Band and is the father of Grammy-nominated musician, composer and ...

– ''Old Songs for the New Depression'' (1981) *1005:

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chica ...

– '' Six Compositions: Quartet'' (1981) *1006:

– ''Birds of a Feather'' (1981) *1007:

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

– ''

80° Below '82 ''80° Below '82'' is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall and Fred Hopkins recorded in 1982 for the Antilles label.Backstrom, L. & Lopez, RHenry Threadgill discographyaccessed February 11, 2010 ...

'' (1982) *1008:

Ronald Shannon Jackson Ronald Shannon Jackson (January 12, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American jazz drummer from Fort Worth, Texas. A pioneer of avant-garde jazz, free funk, and jazz fusion, he appeared on over 50 albums as a bandleader, sideman, arranger, and ...

and the Decoding Society – ''

Mandance ''Man Dance'' is an album by Ronald Shannon Jackson and The Decoding Society, recorded in 1982 for the Antilles label. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "The ensemble-oriented 'free funk' music of drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson ...

'' (1982) *1009: Biréli Lagrène – ''15'' (1982) *1010:

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

– '' Priestess'' (recorded 1977

983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byza ...

*1011: Zahara – ''Flight of the Spirit'' (1983) *1012: Ben Sidran – ''Bop City'' (1983) *1013: Phil Woods – ''Phil Woods at the Vanguard'' (1982) *1014:

Swingrass '83 ''Swingrass '83'' is a 1983 swing/ prog-bluegrass album featuring Andy Statman, Richard Greene, Marty Krystall, Peter Ivers, Fred Tackett, Peter Erskine and Buell Neidlinger. The same musicians, minus Fred Tackett, had previously recorded an album ...

– ''Swingrass '83'' (1982) *1015:

– ''

Barbeque Dog ''Barbeque Dog'' is an album by Ronald Shannon Jackson and The Decoding Society, recorded in 1983 for the Antilles Records, Antilles label.

'' (1983) *1016: Heath Brothers – ''Brothers and Others'' (1983) *1017: Elements – ''Elements'' (1982) *1018:

Steve Khan Steve Khan (born Steven Harris Cahn; April 28, 1947) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Steven Harris Cahn was born in Los Angeles. His father, lyricist Sammy Cahn, "loved to hear any and all versions of his songs". He took piano lessons as a ...

– ''Eyewitness'' (1981) *1019: Biréli Lagrène – ''Down in Town'' *1020: Steve Khan – ''Casa Loco'' (1983) *1021: Elements – ''Forward Motion'' (1983) *2001:

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

– ''

Of Human Feelings ''Of Human Feelings'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Ornette Coleman. It was recorded on April 25, 1979, at CBS Studios in New York City with his band Prime Time, which featured guitarists Charlie Ellerbee ...

'' (1979) *7001: Fripp & Eno – '' (No Pussyfooting)'' (1976, 1st issue 1973 on Island) *7005: Third World (

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

Remi Kabaka Remi Kabaka (born 27 March 1945) is an Afro-rock avant-garde drummer. He worked with John Martyn, Hugh Masekela, on '' Rhythm of the Saints'' by Paul Simon, and '' Short Cut Draw Blood'' by Jim Capaldi. He was also an important figure in the 1970 ...

) – ''Aiye – Keta'' 1973)Allmusic
/ref> *7010:

– ''

Five Leaves Left ''Five Leaves Left'' is the debut studio album by English folk musician Nick Drake. Recorded between 1968 and 1969, it was released in 1969 by Island Records. Recording ''Five Leaves Left'' was recorded between July 1968 and June 1969 at S ...

'' (1976, 1st issue 1969 on Island) *7011:

White Noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines, ...

– '' An Electric Storm'' (1973, 1st issue 1969 on Island) *7023:

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", becam ...

– ''

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'' (1976) *7027:

Albion Country Band The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, were a British folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the m ...

– ''

Battle of the Field ''Battle of the Field'' is a folk rock album by the Albion Country Band, recorded in summer 1973 immediately prior to the band's breakup and only released in 1976 following public demand. The album was produced and engineered by John Wood, and ...

'' (1976) *7028:

– ''

Bryter Layter ''Bryter Layter'' is the second studio album by English folk singer-songwriter Nick Drake. Recorded in 1970 and released on 5 March 1971 by Island Records, it would be his last album to feature backing musicians, as his next and final studio a ...

'' (1976, 1st issue 1971 on Island) *7029: Gay and Terry Woods – ''The Time Is Right'' (1976) *7034:

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

– '' Eternal Now'' (1973) *7035:

Johnny Dyani Johnny Mbizo Dyani (30 November 1945 – 24 October 1986) was a South African jazz double bassist, vocalist and pianist, who, in addition to being a key member of The Blue Notes, played with such international musicians as Don Cherry (jazz), Do ...

Okay Temiz Okay Temiz (born 11 February 1939, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish fusion jazz percussionist and drummer. Biography Temiz was influenced in his early years by his mother, Naciye, who was classically schooled in music. Temiz started playing profe ...

Mongezi Feza Mongezi Feza (11 May 1945 – 14 December 1975) was a South African jazz trumpeter and flautist. Biography Feza was born in Queenstown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, into a family of musicians, His elder brother, Sandi Feza, who ...

– ''Music for Xaba'' (1972) *7067: Various Artists – ''

No New York ''No New York'' is a compilation album released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contained songs by four different artists, some consider it to be a definitive single album documenting Ne ...

'' (1978) *8701:

Naná Vasconcelos Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...

– ''Bush Dance'' (1986) *8706:

Jim Pepper Jim Gilbert Pepper II (June 18, 1941 – February 10, 1992) was a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American heritage. He moved to New York City in 1964, where he came to prominence in the late 1960s as a mem ...

– '' Comin' and Goin''' (1987) *8722:

Laszlo Gardony Laszlo Gardony (born 1956) is a Hungarian-born American jazz pianist and composer. Gardony performs as a solo artist and leads his own trio, quartet and sextet. He is also a featured sideman with several other groups. Biography Gardony studied ...

– ''The Secret'' (1988) *87449:

– ''The Legend of Tsumi'' (1989)

References

{{Authority control American record labels Jazz record labels