Record Label

Contemporary Records

US label, also appears as "Contemporary" only. Label Code: LC 0164 / LC 00164 In 1951, two years after establishing his label as an outlet for traditional jazz, Lester Koenig founded Contemporary Records originally intending to concentrate on issuing contemporary classical music, but jazz bassist , who operated the Lighthouse Club (with partners), persuaded Koenig to release the first of their All-Stars recordings as an album thus switching Koenig's label towards modern jazz. The Los Angeles-based company quickly set industry standards with its superb audio (in the first decade often by or ), quiet pressings, striking album graphics, and informative liner notes and, in 1956, was early in the switch to recording jazz in stereo. Contemporary Records not only captured much of the Southern California jazz scene, including such musicians as , , , and , but also cut two albums by East Coast tenorist and launched the recording career of . In 1984, seven years after Lester Koenig died, Contemporary was acquired by , which signed such artists as , , , , , , and led by and . In UK, the label's albums were issued on [ in 1950s.