Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

s. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

History

Black Saint was established in 1975 by Giacomo Pellicciotti and devoted to recording avant-garde musicians who might not have an opportunity elsewhere. In 1979, a sister label, Soul Note, was established as a home for artists who, while being no less creative, might be considered slightly closer to the mainstream. The labels specialize in avant-garde jazz stemming from the free jazz tradition. Some of its roster of artists were members of the Chicago-based music association

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AA ...

and the St. Louis-based multidisciplinary arts collectives Black Artists Group and the Human Arts Ensemble. The company was based in Tribiano, Italy. Many of the recordings were made in Milan, as the performers passed through the area on tour, although many leading Italian musicians, such as

Giorgio Gaslini Giorgio Gaslini (; 22 October 1929 – 29 July 2014) was an Italian jazz pianist, composer and conductor. He began performing aged 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s, Gaslini performed with his own quartet. He was ...

, have also recorded for the label. Giovanni Bonandrini's son Flavio ran the company until its sale in 2008, the elder Bonandrini having retired, and has supervised many recording sessions in New York City. Starting in 1984, Black Saint/Soul Note won the ''

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' Critics Poll for best record label for six subsequent years until they were replaced by

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

in 1990. Cam Jazz acquired the company in 2008.Brian Morto
"Far Cry"
''Point of Departure'' website, October 2008.

Discography

Black Saint

Soul Note

References

External links

Official website
with Bonandrini {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Saint Soul Note Italian independent record labels Italian jazz record labels Record labels established in 1975 1975 establishments in Italy