- News>
- Music
Ravi Coltrane goes Indie Route
New York, May 26: Add saxophonist Ravi Coltrane to the list of jazz artists either moving from a major to an independent label or starting up their own label venture to release their music. In Coltrane`s case, however, his RKM imprint was initially developed with the idea to promote other acts, rather than his own artistry.
New York, May 26: Add saxophonist Ravi Coltrane to the list of jazz artists either moving from a major to an independent label or starting up their own label venture to release their music. In Coltrane's case, however, his RKM imprint was initially developed with the idea to promote other acts, rather than his own artistry.
Two years ago, while still signed to RCA Victor, Coltrane began considering the idea of a label start-up when he saw that company's resources being funneled away from jazz. "At the time, I wanted to get the ball rolling, not necessarily for myself, but parallel to my own solo career," he says.
RKM is a joint venture between Coltrane; his wife, Kathleen Hennessy; and reedman Michael McGinnis. The label bowed last year, originally as an Internet-only venture, with the simultaneous release of McGinnis' Tangents and two dates by trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Vice & Virtue and This Against That. Those discs will be released nationwide May 27 and distributed by City Hall. A fourth set, by Venezuelan-born pianist Luis Perdomo, is expected in the fall.
Ironically, Coltrane now finds himself without a major-label contract. His most recent project, Mad 6, was a one-off released earlier this year on the Sony-distributed Eighty-Eights imprint. Coltrane says that his vision of maintaining separation between his music and his entrepreneurial venture may not last, as by necessity he is considering releasing his next project on RKM.
Still, he believes that taking jazz from larger to smaller labels is an expected result of the economics involved in running a major corporation, rather than a lack of integrity on the part of those working for the majors.
"You've got a lot of great people at the majors," he says, "but they've got bosses, and down the line decisions end up with a guy whose job it is to worry about numbers. The big companies are getting too big to sustain artists who might sell only a few thousand copies of a record."
Coltrane notes that in the '50s and '60s, a label like Blue Note was a small boutique known for allowing musicians a large degree of artistic freedom. "That makes for better music overall," he says. "When artists are asked to make certain kinds of records that a label hopes will sell, the quality of the music is diminished. That's what you see now, when an artist can sell out clubs but people don't buy their records because the records don't reflect what the artist actually does best."
RKM is a joint venture between Coltrane; his wife, Kathleen Hennessy; and reedman Michael McGinnis. The label bowed last year, originally as an Internet-only venture, with the simultaneous release of McGinnis' Tangents and two dates by trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Vice & Virtue and This Against That. Those discs will be released nationwide May 27 and distributed by City Hall. A fourth set, by Venezuelan-born pianist Luis Perdomo, is expected in the fall.
Ironically, Coltrane now finds himself without a major-label contract. His most recent project, Mad 6, was a one-off released earlier this year on the Sony-distributed Eighty-Eights imprint. Coltrane says that his vision of maintaining separation between his music and his entrepreneurial venture may not last, as by necessity he is considering releasing his next project on RKM.
Still, he believes that taking jazz from larger to smaller labels is an expected result of the economics involved in running a major corporation, rather than a lack of integrity on the part of those working for the majors.
"You've got a lot of great people at the majors," he says, "but they've got bosses, and down the line decisions end up with a guy whose job it is to worry about numbers. The big companies are getting too big to sustain artists who might sell only a few thousand copies of a record."
Coltrane notes that in the '50s and '60s, a label like Blue Note was a small boutique known for allowing musicians a large degree of artistic freedom. "That makes for better music overall," he says. "When artists are asked to make certain kinds of records that a label hopes will sell, the quality of the music is diminished. That's what you see now, when an artist can sell out clubs but people don't buy their records because the records don't reflect what the artist actually does best."
Have we truly reached the point where jazz's best opportunities lie with independent companies, or are there still roles that only a major can fulfill? If today's most progressive jazz comes out on a multitude of small labels, how will a catalog of great music, such as those held by a Verve or a Sony, be preserved? Readers are encouraged to send thoughts on this subject to sgraybow@billboard.com for consideration in an upcoming article.
Bureau Report