Black Saint/Soul Note

Black Saint/Soul Note is a pair of Italian jazz independent record labels. Black Saint was established in 1975 by Giacomo Pelliciotti and devoted to recording avant-garde musicians who might not have an opportunity elsewhere. In 1979, a sister label, Soul Note, was established as a home for artists who, while being no less creative, might be considered slightly closer to the mainstream. Giovanni Bonandrini, owner of Black Saint since 1977, [Liner notes by Frank Tafuri, on "Black Saint/Soul Note: Critics' Pick Sampler" (Vol. 1) BS/SN-C001] admits that the line between the two labels is somewhat nebulous.infobox record label
founded = 1975
founder = Giacomo Pelliciotti
distributor = North Country (In the US)
genre = Jazz, principally Avant-garde jazz
country = Italy
url = http://www.blacksaint.com

The labels specialize in avant garde jazz stemming from the free jazz tradition. Its roster of artists includes many of the most illustrious jazz performers of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Several of the performers had been members of the Chicago-based music association Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the St. Louis-based multidisciplinary arts collectives Black Artists Group and the Human Arts Ensemble.

The company is based in Tribiano, Italy. Many of the recordings were made in Milan, as the performers passed through the area on tour, [Liner notes by Frank Tafuri, on "Black Saint/Soul Note: Critics' Pick Sampler" (Vol. 1) BS/SN-C001] although many leading Italian musicians, such as Giorgio Gaslini, have also recorded for the label. Giovanni Bonandrini's son Flavio now runs the company, the elder Bonandrini having retired, and has supervised many recording sessions in New York.

References

List of artists that have recorded on Black Saint/Soul Note

*Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist
*George Adams, reed player
*Air, group
*Billy Bang, violinist
*Karl Berger, vibraphonist
*Ed Blackwell, drummer
*Ran Blake, pianist
*Paul Bley, pianist
*Hamiet Bluiett, saxophonist
*Lester Bowie, trumpeter
*Anthony Braxton, reed player
*Jaki Byard, pianist
*Baikida Carroll, trumpeter
*Colson Unity Troupe, group
*Marilyn Crispell, piano
*Andrew Cyrille, drummer
*Art Farmer, trumpeter
*Chico Freeman, tenor saxophonist
*Charles Gayle, tenor saxophonist
*Chico Hamilton, drummer
*Billy Harper, tenor saxophonist (recorded the first albums released on each label)
*Beaver Harris, drummer
*Nancy Harrow, vocalist
*Julius Hemphill, reed player
*Andrew Hill, pianist, composer
*Wayne Horvitz, pianist
*Joseph Jarman, multi-instrumentalist
*Leroy Jenkins, violinist
*Phillip Johnston, saxophonist
*Lee Konitz, saxophonist
*Steve Lacy, soprano saxophonist
*Oliver Lake, saxophonist
*The Leaders, group
*George Lewis, trombonist, composer
*John Lindberg, bassist
*Frank Lowe, tenor saxophonist
*Jimmy Lyons, alto saxophonist
*Carla Marciano, saxophonist
*Keshavan Maslak, saxophonist
*Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, multi-instrumentalist
*Marcello Melis, bassist
*Roscoe Mitchell, saxophonist
*David Murray, tenor saxophonist & bass clarinetist
*Diedre Murray, cellist
*Amina Claudine Myers, keyboardist
*Larry Ochs, saxophonist
*Old and New Dreams, group
*William Parker, bassist
*Don Pullen, pianist
*Hugh Ragin, trumpeter
*Enrico Rava, trumpeter
*Dewey Redman, tenor saxophonist
*Sam Rivers, saxophonist, composer
*Max Roach, drummer
*Rova Saxophone Quartet, group
*Roswell Rudd, trombonist
*George Russell, composer
*Saheb Sarbib, bassist
*Charles "Bobo" Shaw, drummer
*Archie Shepp, saxophonist
*Wadada Leo Smith, trumpeter
*Glenn Spearman, tenor saxophonist
*String Trio of New York, group
*Sun Ra, keyboardist, bandleader, composer
*Cecil Taylor, pianist
*Henry Threadgill, reed player, composer
*Tiziano Tononi, drummer
*Trio Hurricane, group
*What We Live, group
*Cassandra Wilson, singer
*World Saxophone Quartet, group
*John Zorn, saxophonist

ee also

*Avant-garde jazz
*Free jazz
*Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
*Black Artists Group
*Human Arts Ensemble
*List of record labels

External links

* [http://www.blacksaint.com Official website]
* [http://members.tripod.com/~AssafGoldberg/index-30.html Site featuring selected albums and covers]
* [http://jazzweekly.com/interviews/soulnote.htm Interview] with Bonandrini
* [http://www.last.fm/label/Black%20Saint/ Black Saint fan page on the social page or fan page regarding music, last.fm]