Capri Records Ltd. is a jazz record label founded by record collector, photographer, and recording engineer Thomas C. Burns. Burns formed the Capri label following his Record Revival store which is now known as Jazz Record Revival, along with his future Tapestry Records label. The Colorado-based Capri Records has a catalog of more than one hundred titles by musicians such as bassists Ray Brown and
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ...
, trombonists
Al Grey
Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''.
Car ...
Bud Shank
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thr ...
and drummer
Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...
.
History
Thomas C. Burns founded Capri Records in Denver,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in 1984 while concentrating on musicians with ties to Colorado. Capri Records began producing albums with locally linked musicians such as
Fred Hess
Fred Hess (September 3, 1944, Abington, Pennsylvania – October 27, 2018) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Hess was raised in New Jersey and studied at Trenton State College. His early experiences include studies with saxophonist Phil W ...
,
Ron Miles
Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri (1990), and Gramavision. His final album, ''Rainbow Sign'', was his first on the Blue N ...
,
Spike Robinson
Henry Bertholf "Spike" Robinson (January 16, 1930 – October 29, 2001) was a jazz tenor saxophonist. He began playing at age twelve, recording on several labels, including Discovery, Hep and Concord. However, he sought an engineering degree and ...
, Keith Oxman, and Ellyn Rucker.
Burns' Capri Records also released albums with many more artists outside of Colorado including musicians Ray Brown,
Ron Miles
Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri (1990), and Gramavision. His final album, ''Rainbow Sign'', was his first on the Blue N ...
,
Jimmy Rowles
James George Hunter (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles (sometimes spelled Jimmie Rowles), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer. As a bandleader and accompanist, he explored multiple styles in ...
and Mike Jones.
From 1987 through the early 1990s, Burns produced albums receiving multiple honors and awards. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra received a Grammy Award nomination for their album ''Groove Shop'' and also received two Golden Feather Awards.
In 2013 Jeff Hamilton and his trio recorded an album with actor
Wilford Brimley
Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the la ...
;
Gary Smulyan
Gary Smulyan (born April 4, 1956) is a jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.Dominic Chianese
Dominic Chianese (; born February 24, 1931) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), Johnny Ola in '' The Godfather Part II'' (1 ...
, who was known for his vocal treatments of classic Italian tunes.
Ali Ryerson
Ali Ryerson (born 21 October 1952 in New York City) is a flutist with a background in both classical and jazz, as well as being an instructor. She has performed and toured worldwide with a wide range of artists including Billy Taylor, Kenny Barr ...
(participated with Holly Hofmann and
Frank Wess
Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. In addition to his extensive solo work, Wess is remembered for his time in Count Basie's band from the early 1950s into the 1960s. Critic ...
in the 2006 album Flutology) approached Tom Burns with the idea of an all-flute big band and recorded Game Changer.
Artists
*
Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...
*
Joe Bonner
Joe Bonner (April 20, 1948 – November 20, 2014) was a hard bop and modal jazz pianist, influenced by McCoy Tyner and Art Tatum.
He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and studied at Virginia State College, but indicated that he lea ...
*
Joshua Breakstone
Joshua Breakstone (born July 22, 1955) is an American jazz guitarist.
Breakstone came into contact with the music business early in life through his parents and siblings. His sister was a lighting technician at the Fillmore East theater, wher ...
John Fedchock
John William Fedchock (born September 18, 1957) is an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and arranger.
Early life and education
Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University and the Eastman School of Music at th ...
*
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz Trombone, trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings.
Early life
Fuller was born in Detroit on December ...
Al Grey
Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''.
Car ...
Atsuko Hashimoto
Atsuko Hashimoto (橋本有津子, はしもとあつこ), is a jazz musician from Osaka, Japan, who plays Hammond B-3 electronic organ and has performed in Japan and the United States. To date, she has recorded five albums of organ trio and org ...
*
Fred Hess
Fred Hess (September 3, 1944, Abington, Pennsylvania – October 27, 2018) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Hess was raised in New Jersey and studied at Trenton State College. His early experiences include studies with saxophonist Phil W ...
*
Ernie Krivda
Ernie Krivda (born February 6, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio as Krvda Ernö) is a jazz saxophone player.
Ernie Krivda began his professional career in 1963 with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. During the 1960s he played in bands of two Cleveland le ...
*
Ron Miles
Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri (1990), and Gramavision. His final album, ''Rainbow Sign'', was his first on the Blue N ...
*
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ...
*
Grachan Moncur III
Grachan Moncur III (June 3, 1937 – June 3, 2022) was an American jazz trombonist. He was the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and the nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper.
Biography
Born in New York City, United States, (his paternal gr ...
*
Stephanie Nakasian
Stephanie Nakasian (born August 29, 1954) is an American jazz vocalist and voice teacher.
Biography
Early life
Born in Washington, D.C., Nakasian grew up in Bronxville, New York. She studied classical piano and violin, sang in choirs, and stu ...
*
Ken Peplowski
Ken Peplowski (born May 23, 1959) is an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and known primarily for playing swing music. For over a decade, Peplowski recorded for Concord Records.
In 2 ...
Spike Robinson
Henry Bertholf "Spike" Robinson (January 16, 1930 – October 29, 2001) was a jazz tenor saxophonist. He began playing at age twelve, recording on several labels, including Discovery, Hep and Concord. However, he sought an engineering degree and ...
*
Jimmy Rowles
James George Hunter (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles (sometimes spelled Jimmie Rowles), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer. As a bandleader and accompanist, he explored multiple styles in ...
*
Ali Ryerson
Ali Ryerson (born 21 October 1952 in New York City) is a flutist with a background in both classical and jazz, as well as being an instructor. She has performed and toured worldwide with a wide range of artists including Billy Taylor, Kenny Barr ...
*
Bud Shank
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thr ...
*
Gary Smulyan
Gary Smulyan (born April 4, 1956) is a jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.Jiggs Whigham
Jiggs Whigham (born Oliver Haydn Whigham III; August 20, 1943) is an American jazz trombonist.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, he began his professional career at the age of 17, joining the Glenn Miller/Ray McKinley orchestra ...
Mike Wofford
Mike Wofford (born in San Antonio, Texas) is a jazz pianist who was raised in San Diego, California. He was an accompanist to singers Sarah Vaughan (in 1979) and Ella Fitzgerald (1989–1994).
He was known in the jazz community going back to the ...
*
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 ...
Discography
Tapestry Records Recorded Albums
* Ellyn Rucker and Friends, ''Thoughts of You''
*
Ron Miles
Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri (1990), and Gramavision. His final album, ''Rainbow Sign'', was his first on the Blue N ...
, ''Trio''
* Joshua Breakstone, ''Tomorrow's Hours''
* Mark Masters Ensemble, ''American Jazz Institute Presents The Clifford Brown Project''
* Flutology, ''First Date''
* Mark Masters, ''One Day With Lee''
* Phil Wilson's Pan American All-Stars, ''Celebrate the Music of Antonio Carlos Tom Jobim''
*
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz Trombone, trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings.
Early life
Fuller was born in Detroit on December ...
, ''I Will Tell Her''
* Chip Stephens Trio, ''Relevancy''
* Mike Wofford, ''It's Personal''
* Tom Kennedy, ''Just Play''
* Mark Masters, ''Everything You Did''
*
Ali Ryerson
Ali Ryerson (born 21 October 1952 in New York City) is a flutist with a background in both classical and jazz, as well as being an instructor. She has performed and toured worldwide with a wide range of artists including Billy Taylor, Kenny Barr ...
and the Jazz Flute Big Band, ''Game Changer''
*
Ken Peplowski
Ken Peplowski (born May 23, 1959) is an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and known primarily for playing swing music. For over a decade, Peplowski recorded for Concord Records.
In 2 ...
, ''Maybe September''
* Jeff Hamilton, ''Wilford Brimley with the Jeff Hamilton Trio''
* Frank Potenza, ''For Joe''
* Mike Jones Trio, ''Plays Well with Others''
*
Gary Smulyan
Gary Smulyan (born April 4, 1956) is a jazz musician who plays baritone saxophone. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. He leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.Official website
{{Authority control
American jazz record labels