Keynote Records

Keynote Records was a record label founded by record store owner Eric Bernay in 1940. The label's initial releases were folk and protest songs from the Soviet Union and the Spanish Civil War, and several anti-war releases from American musicians followed.^[1] From 1943, the label released recordings in the jazz idiom produced by Harry Lim. The music critic John S. Wilson in 1965 described the company's jazz output as "an unusually valid reflection of the jazz spirits of the times."^[2] An unwise investment in a factory to manufacture records in 1947 led to the company becoming bankrupt in 1948, and came under the control of Mercury Records.^[1][3]

The Keynote jazz sessions were comprehensively reissued in 1986 when Nippon Phonogram/PolyGram released a 21 LP set with 115 previously unissued takes.^[4][5] Robert Palmer in The New York Times in October 1986 described it as "a much more substantial addition to the treasury of absolutely essential classic jazz performances than one could have expected or hoped for this late in the game."^[6] In 2013, a 11-CD set of Keynote jazz recordings was issued by the Spanish Fresh Sound label.^[7][8][9] Donald Clarke, writing about Lim's for Keynote, described him as knowing what he was doing and getting "good sound, with no gimmicks."^[4]

Roster

• The Almanac Singers
• George Barnes
• Count Basie
• Barney Bigard
• Marc Blitzstein
• Pete Brown
• Cozy Cole
• Corky Corcoran
• Irving Fazola
• Roy Eldridge
• Bud Freeman
• Paul Gonsalves
• Johnny Guarnieri
• Bill Harris
• George Hartman
• Ann Hathaway
• Coleman Hawkins
• Herbie Haymer
• J.C. Heard
• Neal Hefti
• Earl Hines
• Milt Hinton
• Danny Hurd
• Clyde Hurley
• Chubby Jackson
• Jonah Jones
• Kansas City Seven
• The Keynoters
• Mannie Klein
• Bernie Leighton
• Al Menconi
• Benny Morton
• Ted Nash
• Red Norvo
• Paul Robeson
• Earl Robinson
• Red Rodney
• Harold Rome
• Arnold Ross
• Babe Russin
• Gene Sedric
• Charlie Shavers
• Willie Smith
• Rex Stewart
• Billy Taylor
• Joe Thomas
• Juan Tizol
• Lennie Tristano
• Dinah Washington
• George Wettling
• Josh White
• Lester Young

References

1. Ronald D. Cohen, "Keynote Records". In Frank W. Hoffmann and Howard Ferstler, Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, Volume 1. 2004, p. 571. (Google Books)
2. Wilson, John S. (December 19, 1965). "When Jazz Was Going From Swing to Be-Bop". The New York Times. p. 330. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
3. Morgenstern, Dan (2004). Meyer, Sheldon (ed.). Living With Jazz: A Reader. New York City: Pantheon Books. p. 958. ISBN 9780307487605.
4. "Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music - KEYNOTE". www.donaldclarkemusicbox.com. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
5. Harrington, Richard (December 21, 1986). "Best of the Boxes". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
6. Palmer, Robert (October 12, 1986). "Boxed Sets: Pop Music's Melting Pot". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
7. "Billboard review". Billboard. p. 39. August 30, 1986; vol. 98, #35
8. "CD Recommendation: The Keynote Box | Rifftides". Artsjournal.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
9. "Reissue of the year". Jazz Weekly.

External links

• The Complete Keynote Collection – 21-LP set issued 1986 (Japan) – Discogs page
• Discography of Keynote's jazz recordings – Jazz Disco
• Keynote Records on the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project
• "Keynote Jazz Collection - The Keynote Jazz Collection 1941-1947 (11-CD Box Set)". Blue Sounds. Retrieved April 16, 2020.