Contemporary Records


Contemporary Records was a jazz record company and label founded by Lester Koenig in Los Angeles in 1951. Contemporary produced music from a variety of jazz styles and players.

West Coast players

Contemporary became identified with a style of jazz called West Coast jazz as exemplified by Art Pepper, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, and André Previn.
In the mid 1960s the company fell into relative limbo, but limited new recordings were made in the late 1970s, including a series of albums by Art Pepper recorded at the Village Vanguard club in New York. After Les Koenig's death in 1977, the label was run for seven years by his son, John, who produced albums by George Cables, Joe Farrell, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Peter Erskine, and Chico Freeman.
In 1984 Contemporary was purchased by Fantasy Records, which used the name for a short time. Most Contemporary titles were reissued by Fantasy. Also, some titles have found new life among today's audiophiles as high-quality LP remasters from Analogue Productions and other audiophile labels. The Fantasy catalog, including Contemporary and its associated labels, Good Time Jazz Records, Society for Forgotten Music, and Contemporary Composers Series, was sold to Concord Records in 2004.
Over the years, a number of major figures in the music business worked for Contemporary. Among them were Atlantic Records executive Nesuhi Ertegun, writers Nat Hentoff and Leonard Feather, producer Joe Boyd, recording engineer and studio designer Howard Holzer, and mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

Recording

Koenig maintained high audio standards. He hired Roy DuNann from Capitol Records in 1956, who, out of the label's shipping room turned studio, turned out some of the best sounding records of the time. DuNann provided some details of his techniques in a Stereophile article nearly 50 years later. He said Koenig provided him with German and Austrian condenser microphones and he immediately noted the very high output of these microphones, especially close-in on jazz musicians' dynamic playing. DuNann achieved his signature sound—crisp, clear and balanced without distortion or unpleasant "peak presence"—by keeping his microphone setups very simple and avoided the use of pre-amplifiers for them.
He built a simple passive mixing system that directly fed the electronics of his Ampex 350 and 351 tape machines. Also, DuNann told Stereophile that Contemporary sessions were recorded "dry". Sometimes, such as in the case of Sonny Rollins' Way Out West, a plate reverb unit was inserted between the tape machine and the LP disc cutting lathe. This is why some later LP and CD reissues of Contemporary albums sound "dry" and "dead" compared to the original LPs mastered by DuNann.

Discography

Contemporary 3500/7500 series

The 3500 /7500 series of 12 inch LP records commenced in 1955 and ran until 1961. Contemporary was the first jazz label to record albums in stereo from 1956.
CatalogArtistAlbum
3501's Lighthouse All-StarsSunday Jazz a la Lighthouse, Vol. 1
3502He Swings the Most
3503The Octet #2
3504's Lighthouse All-StarsHoward Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars Vol. 6
3505 TrioHampton Hawes Trio
350612-Tone Compositions and Arrangements by Lyle Murphy
3507 & His MenThe West Coast Sound
3508's Lighthouse All-StarsHoward Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars Vol. 3
3509's Lighthouse All-Stars/Barney Kessel/Hampton Hawes Trio with Shelly ManneLighthouse at Laguna
3510The Quintets & Strings
3511Easy Like
3512Kessel Plays Standards
3513To Swing or Not to Swing
3514Duane Tatro's Jazz for Moderns
3515 TrioThis Is Hampton Hawes
3516 & His MenSwinging Sounds
3517's Lighthouse All-StarsIn the Solo Spotlight
3518The Quintets
3519 & His MenMore Swinging Sounds
3520's Lighthouse All-StarsOboe/Flute
3521Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By
3522Man of Many Parts
3523 TrioEverybody Likes Hampton Hawes
3524The Sextet
3525Shelly Manne & His Friends
3526The Curtis Counce Group
3527 & His FriendsMy Fair Lady
3528's Lighthouse All-StarsMusic for Lighthousekeeping
3529Pub Crawling with Jimmy Deuchar
3530Way Out West
3531Nice Day with Buddy Collette
3532Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section
3533 & His FriendsLi'l Abner
3534Music to Listen to Red Norvo By
3535, Shelly Manne and Ray BrownThe Poll Winners
3536 & His MenConcerto for Clarinet & Combo
3537 & Russ FreemanDouble Play!
3538Presenting Red Mitchell
3539You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce!
3540Zounds!
3541Suite Sixteen
3542Leroy Walks!
3543 & His PalsPal Joey
3544Coop! The Music of Bob Cooper
3545All Night Session! Vol. 1
3546All Night Session! Vol. 2
3547All Night Session! Vol. 3
3548 & His PalsGigi
3549The Arrival of Victor Feldman
3550Harold in the Land of Jazz
3551Something Else!!!!
3552Benny Golson's New York Scene
3553Four!
3554Portrait of Art Farmer
3555Jazz Giant
3556, Shelley Manne & Ray BrownThe Poll Winners Ride Again!
3557 & His MenThe Gambit
3558André Previn Plays Songs by Vernon Duke
3559 & His FriendsBells Are Ringing
3560 & His MenShelly Manne & His Men Play Peter Gunn
3561 QuartetSwingin' the '20s
3562Looking Ahead!
3563Carmen
3564Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders
3565Some Like It Hot
3566 & His MenSon of Gunn!!
3567André Previn Plays Songs by Jerome Kern
3568Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics
3569Tomorrow Is the Question!
3570 Jazz TrioKing Size!
3571'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do
3572 & His PalsWest Side Story
3573Gettin' Together
3574 GroupCarl's Blues
3575Like Previn!
3576, Shelly Manne & Ray BrownPoll Winners Three!
3577 & His MenAt the Black Hawk 1
3578 & His MenAt the Black Hawk 2
3579 & His MenAt the Black Hawk 3
3580 & His MenAt the Black Hawk 4
3581Exploring the Scene!
3582Songs I Like to Sing!
3583Teddy's Ready!
3584The Three & The Two
3585Workin' Out! with the Barney Kessel Quartet
3586André Previn Plays Songs by Harold Arlen
3587 & His MenThe Proper Time
3588 and Howard McGheeTogether Again!!!!
3589For Real!
3590Ruth Price with Shelly Manne & His Men at the Manne-Hole
3591Folk Jazz
3592Good Gravy!
3593/4 & His MenLive! Shelly Manne & His Men at the Manne-Hole
3595Relax and Enjoy It!
3596Maggie's Back in Town!!
3597Lookin' Good!
3598Swingin' with Humes
3599 & His MenShelly Manne & His Men Play Checkmate

Contemporary Popular 5000/9000 series

The 5000 /9000 series of 12 inch LP records commenced in 1956 and ran until 1962.
CatalogArtistAlbum
5001Dig Mel Henke
5002Claire Austin Sings "When Your Lover Has Gone"
5003Now Spin This!
5004!Flamenco Fenomeno!
5005Latinsville!
5006 aned Jack MarshallSounds Unheard Of!

Contemporary 3600/7600 series

The 3600 /7600 series of 12 inch LP records commenced in 1962 and ran until around the early 1980s. After 3624 all releases were stereo only.
CatalogArtistAlbum
3600A World of Piano!
3601Love Moods
3602Smack Up
3603Let's Cook!
3604Make the Man Love Me
3605Awakening!!
3606Heart & Soul
3607Intensity
3608Leroy Walks Again!!
3609My Son the Jazz Drummer!
3610 Quintet featuring Sonny SimmonsThe Cry!
3611The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr.
3612Conflict
3613Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party
3614The Green Leaves of Summer
3615The Newborn Touch
3616Here and Now
3617 and Sonny SimmonsFirebirds
3618Feeling Free
3619The Fox
3620Elmo Hope Trio
3621The Seance
7622Please Send Me Someone to Love
3623Rumasuma
3624Outside
7625/6Burning Spirits
7627/8Blackstone Legacy
7629Alive in London
7630The Way It Was!
7631I'm All Smiles
7632Song of Songs
7633Living Legend
7634Harlem Blues
7635Straight Ahead
7636On the Road
7637Hampton Hawes at the Piano
7638The Trip
7639No Limit
7640Beyond the Rain
7641Something for Lester
7642Thursday Night at the Village Vanguard
7643Friday Night at the Village Vanguard
7644Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard
7645 and The Lighthouse All-StarsAt Last!
7646Ben Webster at the Renaissance
7647Dream Band
7648Back Home
7649 and The Lighthouse All-StarsWitch Doctor
7650More for Les at the Village Vanguard
7651Contemporary Alternate Takes
7652 Dream BandThe Sundown Sessions
7653The Sermon
7654 Dream BandFlying Home
7655Sonority
7656 Dream BandMain Stem
7657The Big Cat
7658 Dream BandOne More Time

14000 series

The 14000 series began in 1980 with 12 inch LP records and in 1982 commenced releases on compact disc. After 1992 all releases were CD only.
CatalogArtistAlbum
14001Cables' Vision
14002Sonic Text
14003Avant Garson
14004Lunch in L.A.
14005Peaceful Heart, Gentle Spirit
14006Relaxin' at Camarillo
14007Rain Forest
14008Destiny's Dance
14009Solo / Quartet
14010Peter Erskine
14011Journey to the East
14012California Concert
14013Easy Living
14014Phantom of the City
14015Circle
14016 and Red MitchellJimmy Rowles with the Red Mitchell Trio
14017 and Snooky YoungIn a Mellotone
14018In Zurich
14019That Old Feeling
14020Back to the City
14021Lament
14022The Latin Connection
14023Classic
14024Bridgework
14025 QuintetEchoes
14026 QuintetBebop Lives!
14027Bud Shank Quartet at Jazz Alley
14028Luther Hughes and Cahoots
14029'
14030By George
14031Serious Swingers
14032I'm Glad There Is You
14033Spontaneous Combustion
14034Real Time
14035 & George CablesDouble Image
14036 and Buddy DeFrancoChicago Fire
14037 and George RobertSun Dance
14038New Again
14039 and the McCoy Tyner TrioMajor Changes
14040Evening Star
14041Phoenix Rising
14042Blame It On My Youth
14043Stories
14044Red Hot & Blue
14045 QuartetYardbird Suite
14046Jackie and RoyFull Circle
14047 and Buddy DeFrancoHoliday for Swing
14048Tomorrow's Rainbow
14049Love You Madly
14050 QuartetSelf-Portrait in Swing
14051Rumsey, HowardJazz Invention
14052 AllstarsReflections
14053After Hours
14054Sail Away
14055Ph.D.
14056 and Buddy DeFrancoAir Mail Special
14057 and Frank MorganCentral Avenue Reunion
14058Guiding Spirit
14059Form
14060The Real Thing
14061Turning Point
14062 Trio9 by 3
14063Visions
14064 and Bud ShankQuiet Fire
14065Sunup to Sundown
14066Memories of You
14067Kings of Swing
14068Walking the Basses
14069 and Celin RomeroSpanish Guitar Music
14070¡Flamenco Fenomeno!
14071Deed I Do
14072Something Special
14073Focus
14074Back to Avalon
14075Boiling Point
14076Freedom Tower
14077Mexican Passport
14078Soul Mates
14079Woody
14080Mean Streets Beat
14081Images
14082Soul Serenade
14083Hamp
14084Pacific Standard
14085St. Louis Blues
14086San Francisco Samba
14087In the Still of the Night
14088After Hours''