The notion that artistry and integrity should be the most important attributes of a record label rather than profits, chart positions and streaming numbers probably seems — at best — overly idealistic in today’s arts universe. But that’s precisely the mantra that has governed every album issued on saxophonist, bandleader and composer Jeff Coffin’s Ear Up Records. While it’s no surprise that someone whose personal taste and influences span the gamut from avant-garde jazz to cutting-edge rock and rhythmically intense funk would operate a label where these values reigned supreme, the word eclectic doesn’t come close to describing the idiomatic range or talent level of Ear Up’s roster. Whether the artists on the roster are familiar or not (and they do include Coffin’s own work, like his recent release Only the Horizon), fans of fresh and innovative music have come to trust Coffin’s curation the way they once might have with Atlantic, Blue Note, Prestige or Chess.
Best Label
Ear Up Records
Jeff Coffin
