Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his Ford agency to found "the jazz label I can never find in record stores." Since then, the label has achieved international recognition, as well as 88 Grammy Award nominations and 14 Grammy Awards.

The label issues a large number of live recordings from festivals and other venues, including a series started in 1990 of piano recitals from Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California by many well known jazz pianists.

The original Concord Jazz logo, a stylized eighth note incorporating the C and J of "Concord Jazz," was created by Bay Area graphic designer Dan Buck, who also worked on several album covers for the company.

Concord includes a family of specialized labels, including Concord Picante for latin jazz and Concord Concerto for classical music.

Artists

• Paula Abdul
• Toshiko Akiyoshi
• Laurindo Almeida
• Ernestine Anderson
• Regina Belle
• Tony Bennett
• Erin Boheme
• Michael Bolton
• Ray Brown
• Dave Brubeck
• Charlie Byrd
• Rosemary Clooney
• Kurt Elling
• Herb Ellis
• Bill Evans
• Michael Feinstein
• Clare Fischer
• Carl Fontana
• Bruce Forman
• Kenny G
• Scott Hamilton
• Jake Hanna
• Gene Harris
• Woody Herman
• Boney James
• Barney Kessel
• Eiji Kitamura
• L.A. Jazz Choir
• LaToya London
• Fraser MacPherson
• Jim McNeely
• Barry Manilow
• Shelly Manne
• Susannah McCorkle
• Dave McKenna
• Marian McPartland
• Chanté Moore
• Ken Peplowski
• Soulive
• Poncho Sanchez
• Bud Shank
• George Shearing
• Curtis Stigers
• Angie Stone
• Ross Tompkins
• Mel Tormé
• Frank Vignola
• Andrzej Wasowski
• Vanessa L. Williams

Emerging "mini-major" company

In 1999, Concord Records was purchased by a consortium led by Hal Gaba and his longtime associate legendary television producer Norman Lear, and moved its offices in 2002 from Concord to Beverly Hills. Its catalog was greatly enhanced in 2004 with the purchase of Fantasy Records. The company is now known as Concord Music Group.

On December 19, 2005, it was announced that the group had purchased Telarc Records and its subsidiary Heads Up, in a deal whose terms have not been divulged.

Kenny G signed to Concord in early 2008.

Dennis Rowland

See also

• List of record labels