Debut Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1952 by bassist

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...

, his wife Celia, and drummer

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

. This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies. Intended to showcase performances by new musicians, only about two dozen albums were issued before the company closed in 1957. Nonetheless, several prominent jazz musicians made their first recordings as leaders for Debut, including pianist

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

, and trumpeters Kenny Dorham and

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

. Saxophonist Hank Mobley made his recording debut on the label, as a sideman with Roach. Teo Macero, later a producer with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

, recorded his first album as a leader as a saxophonist for Debut, an album described by critic Dan MorgensternSee Morgenstern's notes for the 4-CD set ''The Debut Records Story'' as an oddball fusion of Lennie Tristano and

Anton Webern Anton Webern (; 3 December 1883 – 15 September 1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist. His music was among the most radical of its milieu in its lyric poetry, lyrical, poetic concision and use of then novel atonality, aton ...

. Debut was the label on which the '' Jazz at Massey Hall'' concert album was first issued. Recorded in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, it features

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach, and was the last recorded meeting of long-term musical partners Parker and Gillespie. In 1957, Danish bookseller Ole Vestegaard leased the company's catalogue from Mingus and produced recordings on the Danish Debut label by American jazz musicians who settled in Copenhagen or played at Jazzhus Montmartre. After Celia and Charles Mingus divorced, Celia married

Saul Zaentz Saul Zaentz (; February 28, 1921January 3, 2014) was an American film producer and record company executive. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and, in 1996, was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Zaentz's film pr ...

in 1960. Charles gave the Zaentzes control of the rights to Debut catalog as a wedding gift. Mingus thought the gift fitting as Celia had handled the bulk of Debut's business affairs, and most of the

seed money Seed money, also known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor puts capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' suggest ...

came from Celia's mother. Zaentz was later head of

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, where the Debut recordings were subsequently reissued from 1962–1964. A 12-CD set of the Debut recordings featuring Mingus, the majority of the label's output, was issued by Fantasy Records in 1990. A four-CD sequence entitled ''Mingus Rarities'' ( Original Jazz Classics) collected some of the more obscure material featuring Mingus.

Discography

''Debut Ten Inch series (10 inch LP)'' *DLP 1 Charles Mingus/Spaulding Givens - '' Strings and Keys'' *DLP 2 The Quintet - '' Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 1'' *DLP 3

Trio - ''Jazz At Massey Hall, Vol. 2'' *DLP 4 The Quintet - '' Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 3'' *DLP 5 Trombone Rapport - ''Jazz Workshop, Vol. 1'' *DLP 6 Teo Macero - ''Explorations'' *DLP 7

- ''

Introducing Paul Bley ''Introducing Paul Bley'' is the debut album by Canadian jazz pianist Paul Bley recorded in 1953 and released on Charles Mingus' Debut label.

'' *DLP 8 Oscar Pettiford - '' The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet'' *DLP 9 Kenny Dorham - '' Kenny Dorham Quintet'' *DLP 10 John LaPorta - ''The John LaPorta Quintet'' *DLP 11 Sam Most - ''Sam Most Quartet Plus Two'' *DLP 12

- '' The Fabulous Thad Jones'' *DLP 13 Max Roach - '' The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley'' *DLP 14 Trombone Rapport - ''Jazz Workshop, Vol. 2'' *DLP 15 Ada Moore - ''Jazz Workshop, Vol. 3'' *DLP 16 Hazel Scott - ''Relaxed Piano Moods'' *DLP 17 Thad Jones/Charles Mingus - ''Jazz Collaborations, Vol. 1'' ''Debut Twelve Inch series (12 inch LP):'' *DEB 120

- '' Blue Moods'' *DEB 121 John Dennis - ''New Piano Expressions'' *DEB 122 John LaPorta - ''Three Moods'' *DEB 123 Charles Mingus - '' Mingus at the Bohemia'' *DEB 124 The Quintet - '' Jazz at Massey Hall'' *DEB 125 Alonzo Levister - ''Manhattan Monodrama'' *DEB 126 Jazz Workshop - ''Trombone Rapport / Trombone Workshop'' (reissue of DLP 5 & DLP 14) *DEB 127 Thad Jones - ''

'' *DEB 128 Charles Mingus - ''Chazz!'' (not released) *DEB 129 Jimmy Knepper - ''New Faces'' (some of the material appeared on Debut DL 101 - Danish EP) *DEB 198 Jazz Workshop - ''Autobiography in Jazz'' ''Danish Debut Twelve Inch series (12 inch LP):'' *DEB 130 The Four Trombones – ''Trombone Rapport'' *DEB 131 Coleman Hawkins/Bud Powell/Oscar Pettiford/Kenny Clarke - ''The Essen Jazz Festival All Stars'' *DEB 132 Oscar Pettiford and His Jazz Groups - '' My Little Cello'' *DEB 133 The Axen/Jaedig Jazz Groups (Bent Axen/Bent Jædig) - ''Let's Keep the Message'' *DEB 134 Jorn Elniff - ''Music for Mice and Men'' *DEB 135 Louis Hjulmand & Allan Botschinsky Featuring Oscar Pettiford - ''Blue Brothers''/''Blue Bros.'' *DEB 136 Eric Dolphy - '' Eric Dolphy in Europe'' *DEB 137 Brew Moore - ''Brew Moore in Europe'' *DEB 138 Cecil Taylor - '' Live at the Cafe Montmartre'' *DEB 139 Charles Mingus - '' Chazz!'' *DEB 140 Albert Ayler - '' My Name Is Albert Ayler'' *DEB 141 Sahib Shihab - '' Sahib's Jazz Party'' *DEB 142 Don Byas - ''Don Byas' 30th Anniversary Album'' *DEB 143 The Contemporary Jazz Quartet Featuring Sonny Murray - ''Action'' *DEB 144 Albert Ayler - ''

Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

'' *DEB 145 o issue/no information *DEB 146 Albert Ayler - '' Spirits'' *DEB 147 Paul Bley Trio - '' Touching'' *DEB 148 Cecil Taylor Jazz Unit - '' Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come'' *DEB 149 Bent Jaedig - ''Bent Jaedig Quintet'' *DEB 150 Palle Mikkelborg Og Radio Jazz Gruppen - ''The Mysterious Corona'' *DEB 151 The Contemporary Jazz Quintet - ''T.C.J.Q.'' *DEB 198 Jazz Workshop - ''Autobiography in Jazz'' *DEB 1148 Hugh Steinmetz - ''Nu!''

References

External links

Debut Records Discography Project Page
{{Authority control American jazz record labels Defunct record labels of the United States Record labels established in 1952 Record labels disestablished in 1957

Discography

See also

References

External links