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Onyx Records

April 18, 2024

Onyx Records, Inc., was a small, independent American record label based in Manhattan, New York, co-founded on July 15, 1971, by Joe Fields[1][2] (1929–2017) and Don Schlitten (born 1932)[3] and managed by Gentry McCreary (born 1941). Its address was at 160 West 71st Street on the Upper West Side.

Onyx Records
FoundedJuly 15, 1971 (1971-07-15)
FounderJoe Fields and
Don Schlitten
Defunct1978 (1978)
StatusDefunct
GenreJazz, blues
Country of originU.S.
LocationNew York City
ONYX RECORDS 1972

History edit

Onyx flourished from its founding through 1978, re-issuing recordings, including those of Art Tatum, Hot Lips Page, Don Byas, and Charlie Parker. Its initial releases were selections from the Jerry Newman Collection (né Jerome Robert Newman; 1918–1970), who, in 1941, recorded live performances at clubs in Harlem while a student at Columbia University.[4] The name "Onyx" was the namesake of four jazz clubs – all named the Onyx Club – all, at different times, on West 52nd Street in Manhattan, but notably, the club that ran from 1942 to 1949 at the vanguard of bebop. Onyx Records received acclaim from Dan Morgenstern for its release of radio broadcast transcriptions from KFBI Wichita featuring the Jay McShann Band with Charlie Parker.[5]






Corporate background edit

Onyx Records was founded as a New York corporation on July 15, 1971, under the name of Avatar Productions, Inc. The name was changed to Onyx Records, Inc., in 1973. Onyx was owned equally by Joe Fields and Don Schlitten. Onyx was in the business of securing rights in "classic" jazz master recordings and manufacturing and distributing phono records derived from such master recordings.

Selected discography edit

Newman's collection edit

Newman,[a] while a student at Columbia in 1941, lugged his acetate disc recording machine — a portable Wilcox-Gay Recordio "disc cutter" — to jazz clubs in Harlem, including Minton's Playhouse on 118th Street and Clark Monroe’s Uptown House on 134th Street, both of which were incubators of jazz of the day. Newman's collection became the backbone for Onyx Recording, Inc.

Re-release of broadcast transcriptions of KFBI radio, Wichita edit

The Jay McShann Band recorded two sessions – one on November 30, 1940, and one on December 2, 1940 — at the studio of KFBI radio, Wichita, for broadcast transcriptions. The band members were:

Charlie Parker (1920–1955) (alto sax),
Buddy Anderson (1919–1997) (trumpet)
Orville "Piggy" Minor (1917–1999) (trumpet)
Bud Gould (né James Frederick Gould; 1917–2002) (trombone, violin)
William James Scott ("Scotty", grew-up in Kansas City) (tenor sax) †
Jay McShann (1916–2006) (piano)
Gene Ramey (1913–1984) (bass)
Gus Johnson (1913–2000) (drums)
Onyx ORI 221
† Replaced for the second sessions by Bob Mabane (né Robert Lee Mcbane, Jr.; 1914–1991) (tenor sax)

Charlie Parker edit

A compilation album, Charlie Parker – First Recordings! (ORI 221), which included the KFBI sessions of November 30, 1940, and December 2, 1940, plus an AFRS #582 broadcast from the Savoy Ballroom on February 12, 1945 – released in 1974 – won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Soloist in 1975. The 1945 session featured Cootie Williams and his Orchestra:

Cootie Williams, Harold "Money" Johnson, Ermit V. Perry, George Treadwell (trumpets); Ed Burke, Bob Horton (trombones); Charlie Parker, Frank Powell (alto saxes); Lee Pope, Sam "The Man" Taylor (tenor saxes); Eddie de Verteuil (bari sax); Arnold Jarvis (piano); Leroy Kirkland (guitar); Carl Pruitt (double bass); Sylvester "Vess" Payne (drum kit); Tony Warren (vocalist)

Onyx principals edit

  • Don Schlitten, president, was an RCA producer who, at the time, had been producing RCA Vintage Series
  • Gentry McCreary, general manager
  • Fields was also the sole shareholder of Blanchris, Inc., the parent company of Muse Records (co-founded by both Fields and Schlitten). Muse was primarily in the business of recording and distributing contemporary jazz records.

Selected artists edit

See also edit

  • Muse Records had no label or business connection with Onyx, but, nonetheless, was co-founded by the same people.[8][9]
  • Xanadu Records was a label founded by Don Schlitten
  • HighNote Records has re-issued some recordings from Onyx's catalog
  • Legal case
  • Onyx Club in dictionary
  • "Ars Gratia Tatum: A Brief Biographical Sketch Of Art Tatum, The Greatest Pianist In Jazz," by Ron Davis, Toronto (1978; 2009)

Other labels with a similar name edit

  • Onyx Records, an American rockabilly label from the late 1950s, owned by Jerry Winston. The label was known for having recorded The Velours.
  • Onyx International Records, a gospel label

Notes and references edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Bill Fox (aka Bill Mink, Bill Wolf/Wolfe), Jerry Newman, and Seymour Weiss (né Seymour Michael Wyse; born 1923 in London) founded the Esoteric Record Corporation in 1949 in New York. In 1957 the label was renamed Counterpoint; and after being first sold to Eichler Records Corporation in 1960, and then to Everest Record Group in 1963, to Counterpoint / Esoteric Records. Earlier, in 1948, Newman and Wyse founded Greenwich Music Shop. In 1964, Fox moved to Vanguard Records, to become the production coordinator. Fox had been Newman's business partner with the Greenwich Music Shop

Discography references edit

  1. ^ God is in the House, Art Tatum, Onyx Records, ORI 205 (LP) (1972); OCLC 3197822, 473711960
    Art Tatum (1909–1956) (piano), Frankie Newton (1906–1954) (trumpet), Chocolate Williams (bass); Ebenezer Paul (1919–1947) (bass)
        Liner notes: Dan Morgenstern
        1940: November 11
        1941: May 7, July 26–27, September 16
        Minton's, Harlem
        Re-issued: HighNote HCD 7030 (CD) (1998); OCLC 41634272

Inline citations edit

  1. ^ Building on Founder’s Vision, HighNote Fosters Artistic Freedom," by John Ephland, Down Beat, March 4, 2014
  2. ^ "Industry Q&A: Joe Fields, HighNote Records et al." (cover article, Part 1 of 2 interviews), interviewed by Tad Hendrickson, JazzWeek, Vol. 2, No. 50, November 13, 2006 (Joe Fields on the cover), pps. 9-11
  3. ^ "Onyx Formed; Schlitten Chief," Billboard, July 1, 1972, pg. 3
  4. ^ "Jazz from the Forties on Onyx Records," Timothy Evans, Journal of Jazz Studies (Institute of Jazz Studies), Vol. 2, No. 2, June 1975, pps. 96-103; ISSN 0093-3686
  5. ^ Yardbird Suite: A Compendium of the Music and Life of Charlie Parker, by Lawrence O. Koch (born 1939), Bowling Green State University Popular Press (1988); OCLC 20490203
  6. ^ "Homage To Jerry Newman," by John A. Schott (born 1966), John Schott's blog at WordPress, July 27, 2015 (retrieved January 20, 2016)
  7. ^ The Jazz Discography online (retrieved November 21, 2018)
  8. ^ "No Onyx Connection," Billboard, October 12, 1974, pg. 10
  9. ^ "A Guide to Muse Records," by Andy Thomas, Red Bull Music Academy Daily, April 13, 2015 (retrieved January 21, 2016)

April 18, 2024
onyx, records, small, independent, american, record, label, based, manhattan, york, founded, july, 1971, fields, 1929, 2017, schlitten, born, 1932, managed, gentry, mccreary, born, 1941, address, west, 71st, street, upper, west, side, foundedjuly, 1971, 1971, . Onyx Records Inc was a small independent American record label based in Manhattan New York co founded on July 15 1971 by Joe Fields 1 2 1929 2017 and Don Schlitten born 1932 3 and managed by Gentry McCreary born 1941 Its address was at 160 West 71st Street on the Upper West Side Onyx RecordsFoundedJuly 15 1971 1971 07 15 FounderJoe Fields andDon SchlittenDefunct1978 1978 StatusDefunctGenreJazz bluesCountry of originU S LocationNew York CityONYX RECORDS 1972 Contents 1 History 1 1 Corporate background 2 Selected discography 2 1 Newman s collection 2 2 Re release of broadcast transcriptions of KFBI radio Wichita 2 3 Charlie Parker 3 Onyx principals 4 Selected artists 5 See also 6 Other labels with a similar name 7 Notes and references 7 1 Notes 7 2 Discography references 7 3 Inline citationsHistory editOnyx flourished from its founding through 1978 re issuing recordings including those of Art Tatum Hot Lips Page Don Byas and Charlie Parker Its initial releases were selections from the Jerry Newman Collection ne Jerome Robert Newman 1918 1970 who in 1941 recorded live performances at clubs in Harlem while a student at Columbia University 4 The name Onyx was the namesake of four jazz clubs all named the Onyx Club all at different times on West 52nd Street in Manhattan but notably the club that ran from 1942 to 1949 at the vanguard of bebop Onyx Records received acclaim from Dan Morgenstern for its release of radio broadcast transcriptions from KFBI Wichita featuring the Jay McShann Band with Charlie Parker 5 Corporate background edit Onyx Records was founded as a New York corporation on July 15 1971 under the name of Avatar Productions Inc The name was changed to Onyx Records Inc in 1973 Onyx was owned equally by Joe Fields and Don Schlitten Onyx was in the business of securing rights in classic jazz master recordings and manufacturing and distributing phono records derived from such master recordings Selected discography editNewman s collection edit Newman a while a student at Columbia in 1941 lugged his acetate disc recording machine a portable Wilcox Gay Recordio disc cutter to jazz clubs in Harlem including Minton s Playhouse on 118th Street and Clark Monroe s Uptown House on 134th Street both of which were incubators of jazz of the day Newman s collection became the backbone for Onyx Recording Inc Art Tatum at Minton s in 1941 issued by Onyx after being declined by Columbia on the LP God Is In The House Discography 1 At the 16th Annual Grammy Awards held in March 1974 the album won two Grammys one for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and one for Best Liner Notes written by Morgenstern Newman s recordings have been issued as unauthorized records variously over the years but none were done so with the permission or participation of the artists or their estates 6 The commercial value of the recordings were nil and those who acquired them viewed the market as one of historic preservation Re release of broadcast transcriptions of KFBI radio Wichita edit The Jay McShann Band recorded two sessions one on November 30 1940 and one on December 2 1940 at the studio of KFBI radio Wichita for broadcast transcriptions The band members were Charlie Parker 1920 1955 alto sax Buddy Anderson 1919 1997 trumpet Orville Piggy Minor 1917 1999 trumpet Bud Gould ne James Frederick Gould 1917 2002 trombone violin William James Scott Scotty grew up in Kansas City tenor sax Jay McShann 1916 2006 piano Gene Ramey 1913 1984 bass Gus Johnson 1913 2000 drums Onyx ORI 221 Replaced for the second sessions by Bob Mabane ne Robert Lee Mcbane Jr 1914 1991 tenor sax Charlie Parker edit A compilation album Charlie Parker First Recordings ORI 221 which included the KFBI sessions of November 30 1940 and December 2 1940 plus an AFRS 582 broadcast from the Savoy Ballroom on February 12 1945 released in 1974 won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Soloist in 1975 The 1945 session featured Cootie Williams and his Orchestra Cootie Williams Harold Money Johnson Ermit V Perry George Treadwell trumpets Ed Burke Bob Horton trombones Charlie Parker Frank Powell alto saxes Lee Pope Sam The Man Taylor tenor saxes Eddie de Verteuil bari sax Arnold Jarvis piano Leroy Kirkland guitar Carl Pruitt double bass Sylvester Vess Payne drum kit Tony Warren vocalist Onyx principals editDon Schlitten president was an RCA producer who at the time had been producing RCA Vintage Series Gentry McCreary general manager Fields was also the sole shareholder of Blanchris Inc the parent company of Muse Records co founded by both Fields and Schlitten Muse was primarily in the business of recording and distributing contemporary jazz records Selected artists editLouis Armstrong 7 Dave Bailey Louis Bellson Sonny Berman Don Byas Sid Catlett Charlie Christian Kenny Clarke Buck Clayton Teddy Edwards Roy Eldridge Duke Ellington Tommy Flanagan Slim Gaillard Vivien Garry Dexter Gordon Wardell Gray Bobby Hackett Edmond Hall Clyde Hart Coleman Hawkins J C Heard Johnny Hodges Russell Jacquet Nat Jaffe Barney Kessel Dodo Marmarosa Jay McShann Mills Blue Rhythm Band Theloneous Monk Clark Monroe Hot Lips Page Charlie Parker Leo Parker Flip Phillips Art Pepper Don Redman Red Rodney Jimmy Rushing Tony Scott Charlie Shavers Slam Stewart Maxine Sullivan Art Tatum Joe Thomas Dave Tough Ben Webster Cootie Williams Mary Lou Williams Lester YoungSee also editMuse Records had no label or business connection with Onyx but nonetheless was co founded by the same people 8 9 Xanadu Records was a label founded by Don Schlitten HighNote Records has re issued some recordings from Onyx s catalog Legal case Onyx Club in dictionary Ars Gratia Tatum A Brief Biographical Sketch Of Art Tatum The Greatest Pianist In Jazz by Ron Davis Toronto 1978 2009 Other labels with a similar name editOnyx Records an American rockabilly label from the late 1950s owned by Jerry Winston The label was known for having recorded The Velours Onyx International Records a gospel labelNotes and references editNotes edit Bill Fox aka Bill Mink Bill Wolf Wolfe Jerry Newman and Seymour Weiss ne Seymour Michael Wyse born 1923 in London founded the Esoteric Record Corporation in 1949 in New York In 1957 the label was renamed Counterpoint and after being first sold to Eichler Records Corporation in 1960 and then to Everest Record Group in 1963 to Counterpoint Esoteric Records Earlier in 1948 Newman and Wyse founded Greenwich Music Shop In 1964 Fox moved to Vanguard Records to become the production coordinator Fox had been Newman s business partner with the Greenwich Music Shop Discography references edit God is in the House Art Tatum Onyx Records ORI 205 LP 1972 OCLC 3197822 473711960Art Tatum 1909 1956 piano Frankie Newton 1906 1954 trumpet Chocolate Williams bass Ebenezer Paul 1919 1947 bass Liner notes Dan Morgenstern 1940 November 11 1941 May 7 July 26 27 September 16 Minton s Harlem Re issued HighNote HCD 7030 CD 1998 OCLC 41634272 Inline citations edit Building on Founder s Vision HighNote Fosters Artistic Freedom by John Ephland Down Beat March 4 2014 Industry Q amp A Joe Fields HighNote Records et al cover article Part 1 of 2 interviews interviewed by Tad Hendrickson JazzWeek Vol 2 No 50 November 13 2006 Joe Fields on the cover pps 9 11 Onyx Formed Schlitten Chief Billboard July 1 1972 pg 3 Jazz from the Forties on Onyx Records Timothy Evans Journal of Jazz Studies Institute of Jazz Studies Vol 2 No 2 June 1975 pps 96 103 ISSN 0093 3686 Yardbird Suite A Compendium of the Music and Life of Charlie Parker by Lawrence O Koch born 1939 Bowling Green State University Popular Press 1988 OCLC 20490203 Homage To Jerry Newman by John A Schott born 1966 John Schott s blog at WordPress July 27 2015 retrieved January 20 2016 The Jazz Discography online retrieved November 21 2018 No Onyx Connection Billboard October 12 1974 pg 10 A Guide to Muse Records by Andy Thomas Red Bull Music Academy Daily April 13 2015 retrieved January 21 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Onyx Records amp oldid 1205672353, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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