Eastlawn Records


Eastlawn Records is an independent blues and jazz record label based in Detroit, Michigan United States. Co-founded in 1990 by RJ Spangler and Frank Traum, major artists include Alberta Adams, Planet D Nonet, RJ Spangler's Blue Four, and Gino Parks.

History

Founding

Eastlawn Records was founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1990, when drummer and bandleader RJ Spangler teamed up with an old friend from high school, Frank Traum. The name Eastlawn Records came from the Detroit street where Traum's father was raised, as a tribute to him. Spangler had also lived on Eastlawn Street in the late 1970s.
Traum, a local pharmacist, felt that friends of his, members of the Sun Sounds Orchestra, needed to be heard. The SSO were the first artist signed to the label, with members consisting primarily of current and past members of the Sun Messengers, another Detroit band co-founded by Spangler. Both groups shared an affection for jazz musician Sun Ra and African music.

Releases

The label's first release was a CD by the Sun Sounds Orchestra, the Afro-jazz group that Spangler was still then co-leading. The label has since released jazz, blues, soul, and some rock recordings with a focus on Detroit musicians. Among those artists are Detroit jump-blues band The Blues Disciples, who released their debut album in early 1993 on the label. Led by guitarist Paul Carey, the band also features musicians such as bassist Bob Conner on acoustic bass and R.J. Spangler on drums.
The label later signed Alberta Adams, a Detroit blues singer whose album Detroit is my Home was released exclusively on Eastlawn in 2008.
Spangler's band the Blue Four had a well-received album released in 2009, titled You Know I Can't Refuse: The Bill Heid Sessions. According to Allmusic, "Bill Heid spent some 15 years living in Metro Detroit. Drummer R.J. Spangler corralled Heid on a trip back to Detroit for this recording, showcasing the songs that Heid has performed regularly as a pianist and blues vocalist." Allmusic gave the album 4/5 stars.
In 2012 the album This Is What We Do was released on the label by the RJ Spangler Trio, Spangler's organ trio. The EP received radio airplay throughout the Midwest. Spangler is also a member of Planet D Nonet, a band signed to the label. Two of the band's numerous albums were Sun Ra tribute music.

Artists

;Current
;Past
No.ArtistTitleYear
ELD-001The Sun Sounds OrchestraOpen Up the Doors1991
ELD-003The Blues Disciples ft. Camille Price and Terry ThunderThe Blues Disciples1993
ELD-011Alberta AdamsLive AA2001
ELD-012Odessa Harris GroupThe Easy Life2003
ELD-014Alberta AdamsI'm on the Move2002
ELD-013Geno ParksLive - On the Air2003
ELD-015Bill Heid / Johnnie BassettThe Heid/Bassett Blues Insurgents2003
ELD-016Alberta AdamsDetroit's Queen of the Blues2005
ELD-017Alberta AdamsDetroit Is My Home2008
ELD-018Planet D NonetThe Little Big Band2009
ELD-019RJ Spangler's Blue FourYou Know You Can't Refuse: The Bill Heid Sessions2009
ELD-020Planet D NonetBlowin' Away the Blues EP2009
ELD-021Planet D NonetBlues, Ballads and Beyond2010
ELD-022Planet D NonetWe Travel The Space-ways: The Music of Sun Ra2010
ELD-023Planet D NonetBlowin' Away The Blues, Volume 22010
ELD-024Planet D NonetOld School2012
ELD-025RJ Spangler TrioThis Is What We Do2012
ELD-026Planet D NonetRays of the Sun2013