Seymour Records

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Seymour Records
Active years 1950-1951
founder Seymour Schwartz
Seat Chicago
Genre (s) Traditional jazz , bebop

Seymour Records was an American jazz record label and was founded in 1950 by Seymour Schwartz. It existed until 1951.

The short-lived record label Seymour Records existed between August and December 1950 and brought only four records on the market that year; a fifth record under the number Seymour 1 was recorded and published in mid-1951; a sixth was planned, but was no longer implemented. The company was located at Seymour's Record Mart (439 South Wabash), a record store specializing in jazz and blues records, located in the Auditorium Building on Chicago's Loop. The store and label was owned by Seymour Schwartz (1917-2008), who had also made a name for himself as a jazz cornet player, trumpeter and songwriter.

Seymour Schwartz had also organized some live jazz sessions in a loft above the store with musicians such as John Merritt Young , Kenny Mann , Lurlean Hunter , Jimmy Yancey and Big Bill Broonzy in his shop . A young bebop fan named Joe Segal, who worked for Schwartz, introduced younger musicians like Cy Touff . Guests of the sessions were u. a. Duke Ellington , Louis Armstrong or the actor Henry Fonda , who was on stage in Chicago at the time. When these concerts came to an end in 1950, Seymour Schwartz decided to start his own record label to have musicians of traditional jazz and young bebop as well as his own compositions, such as the song "The Holy Bible", which was then recorded by Mahalia Jackson was recorded (but not on Seymour Records).

One of the first recorded bands was the Jimmy James Jas Band , which consisted of regular participants in the trad jazz sessions. Another band with which Seymour's second release was recorded was a band led by pianist John Merritt Young ( Johnny Young ) with saxophonist Kenny Mann . The jazz standards “ You Go to My Head ”, “ These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) ” and “Memories of You” emerged. Young's trio then accompanied the singer Lurlean Hunter in October 1950 for the third Seymour session ("I Got a Warm Feeling").

After the financial end of Seymour Records, Schwartz founded a second label called Heartbeat in late 1955 (according to self-promotion: "Music with 'Heart' and a 'Beat'"), with which he wanted to conquer the jukebox market in Illinois and Wisconsin ; However, he achieved only a few publications, the best known a recording in January 1956 with the pop and soul singer Billie Hawkins , who was accompanied by Sun Ra and his orchestra, which was the first studio recording of the legendary band. In 1958 Schwartz himself recorded the single with Peg o 'My Heart and the standard " Tea for Two " (Heartbeat H7) as "Seymour with' His Heartbeat 'Trumpet" , which became a local hit.

Individual evidence

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