JMT Records (an acronym of Jazz Music Today) was a German
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 pr ...
founded by Stefan Winter. It was based in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
, Germany, specialized in contemporary
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, and operated from 1985 until 1995.
History
JMT released debut albums by
Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow.
Early life
Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing ...
,
Greg Osby
Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with J ...
,
Cassandra Wilson,
Jean-Paul Bourelly,
Robin Eubanks and also released early albums by
Gary Thomas helping to define the
M-Base concept. The label also produced early recordings of musicians associated with the New York downtown scene including
Mark Feldman,
Mark Dresser,
Hank Roberts,
Tim Berne,
Uri Caine and
Joey Baron. Other jazz musicians who recorded for JMT included
Bob Stewart,
Anthony Cox, and
Craig Harris. European musicians such as
Django Bates,
Marc Ducret and Peter Herborn were also part of the label's portfolio.
One of the most successful releases on JMT was
John McLaughlin's ''
Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' with
Trilok Gurtu and
Kai Eckhardt which reached number 3 in the ''
Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Drummer and composer
Paul Motian released eleven albums between 1988 and 1995 on the JMT label including many with his trio featuring
Joe Lovano and
Bill Frisell.
In 1995, JMT was fully absorbed into
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, which deleted most of the label's back catalogue. One of the label's artists,
Tim Berne, stated that the majority of his work vanished.
In 1997 Stefan Winter established
Winter & Winter Records
Winter & Winter is a record label in Munich, Germany that specializes in jazz, classical and improvised music. It was founded by Stefan Winter following the demise of his JMT Records label.
Since 1997 Winter & Winter has released records by ...
and gradually re-released the JMT catalogue through this label.
Discography
See also
*
List of record labels
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File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
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Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
References
External links
Winter & Winter's JMT catalogue
{{DEFAULTSORT:JMT Records
German independent record labels
Jazz record labels
Mass media in Munich