Verve

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Verve Records is an American record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels: Norgran Records and clef records (founded 1953) and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.

The Verve catalog grew throughout the 1950s and 1960s to include most of the major figures in jazz, though Granz tended to record established artists, sometimes those in decline, rather than new talent. It also recognized the potential of comedy albums, producing Spike Jones’ first LP, [album artist]Spike Jones]Dinner Music For People Who Aren’t Very Hungry[/album] in 1956 and several best-selling albums featuring live performances by Shelley Berman beginning in 1960.

Granz sold Verve to MGM in 1961 for $3 million. Creed Taylor was appointed as producer, and adopted a more commercial approach, cancelling several contracts. Taylor brought the to America with the Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd LP Jazz Samba as well as Getz/Gilberto. Several arrangers of note worked for the Verve label too in the 1960s, including Claus Ogerman and Oliver Nelson. Claus Ogerman, by his own admission in Gene Lees’ Jazzletter publication, arranged some 60-70 albums for Verve under Creed Taylor’s direction from 1963-1967.

Shortly before leaving Verve in 1967, Taylor supervised the creation of a music subsidiary named Verve Folkways (later renamed Verve Forecast) by Verve executive Jerry Schoenbaum. But by now, new recordings began to decline & would cease altogether in the early 1970s.
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  • Voltah

    Great Ol` Music!

    June 2009

  • BluesRok

    Susan Tedeschi is a great blues artist. If you like her soulful voice and bluesy guitar, please join Susan Tedeschi Fans.

    November 2008

  • nutriot

    the new jazzanova album will be out on verve!

    October 2008

  • talkingmusic

    Congratulations for Verve with their 7 Grammy Nominations: Queen Latifah, Ledisi, Herbie Hancock and Loreena McKennitt! Well done!

    December 2007

  • erkonom

    check out free mp3s + more at : www.erasoul.com

    July 2007

  • spiritdatatree

    For Ever, For Always, For Luther Vol2 excellent!

    July 2007

  • modir

    cool. I'm the first to write here... This label is really great.

    February 2007
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