| NoBusiness Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Danas Mikailionis and Valerij Anosov |
| Genre | Free jazz, free improvisation |
| Country of origin | Lithuania |
| Location | Vilnius |
| Official website | nobusinessrecords |
NoBusiness Records is an independent record label, based in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The label was founded in 2008 by Danas Mikailionis and Valerij Anosov. [1] The latter is the owner of a jazz-oriented record store in Vilnius named Thelonious; according to Mikailionis, it is "probably the only store in Vilnius where one can find non-commercial music." [1] Prior to starting the label, Mikailionis and Anosov put on concerts that featured artists such as William Parker, Matthew Shipp, Howard Riley, Joe McPhee, and Barry Guy. [2] However, it was saxophonist Mats Gustafsson who, after performing a solo set, as well as one with Lithuanian musicians, encouraged them to found their own record label. [2] Gustafsson's performances were issued as The Vilnius Implosion (solo), the label's first CD release, and The Vilnius Explosion (ensemble), their first vinyl release. [3] [4]
In 2010, NoBusiness began working with musicologist Ed Hazell on historical multiple-CD collections, [5] such as The Complete Recordings 1981–1983 by the band Commitment, featuring William Parker, Will Connell, Jr., Jason Kao Hwang, and Zen Matsuura, [6] Jemeel Moondoc's Muntu Recordings , [7] and William Parker's Centering: Unreleased Early Recordings 1976–1987. [8] In 2017, the label initiated a collaboration with the Japanese Chap Chap label, starting with the release of The Conscience , by trombonist Paul Rutherford and drummer Sabu Toyozumi. [9] In 2019, NoBusiness issued the first CD in a six-volume Sam Rivers archival series, [10] while 2020 saw the beginning of the Contemporary Classics Series with releases featuring music by Lithuanian composers Osvaldas Balakauskas and Onutė Narbutaitė. [11] [12] [13] In a 2023 interview, Mikailionis stated that the label will also continue to document early European free jazz, with releases by groups such as Total Music Association, Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, and Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden. [14]
Writer Peter Margasak praised NoBusiness's "DIY spirit and passion," and noted that their focus on free jazz can be seen as a response to the fact that, after the Soviet era in Lithuania, "jazz lost its subversive status," and "commercial treacle came flooding in." [2] The label has consistently focused on quality and attention to detail; Mikailionis stated: "We don't want to release music only for the sake of releasing it. That's why we put great attention to the selection of the projects planned for the future." [1]
Since its inception, NoBusiness has issued both CDs and vinyl records. [1] According to Mikailionis, "Visual aesthetic enjoyment combined with the process of listening to vinyl makes it a much greater pleasure for us than listening to a CD." [1] Most releases can also be downloaded in digital format. [15]
Clifford Allen of All About Jazz called NoBusiness Records "a startlingly active imprint with an extraordinary deep catalogue," [1] and wrote that the label "has clearly emerged as the current cultural ambassador for Lithuania." [5] Writers for The Free Jazz Collective praised the fact that, "over the years, NoBusiness has been dedicated to unearthing and releasing long-unheard music from a number of musicians," and noted that the Sam Rivers Archive Series "looks to be a beautiful physical manifestation of the love and respect that NoBusiness Record's Danas Mikailionis has for NYC loft era free jazz." [14] Author Daniel Fischlin stated that the label is "devoted to an impressive catalogue of performers working across free jazz and improvised music and expanding the space for non-commercial creative voicings that disrupt mainstream music." [16]
NoBusiness releases have received praise and end-of-year awards from The New York Times , [17] the BBC , [18] DownBeat , [19] The Wire , [20] The New York City Jazz Record , [21] Tom Hull, [22] NPR , [23] JazzTimes , [24] Point of Departure, [25] Dusted, [26] Cadence , [27] and Jazz Word. [28] In 2012, Ed Hazell was an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award recipient for his liner notes for Billy Bang's Survival Ensemble - Black Man's Blues. [29]
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Inscape–Tableaux is an album by bassist Barry Guy. It was recorded on May 18 and 19, 2000, at Rote Fabrik in Zürich, Switzerland, and was released in 2001 by Intakt Records. On the album, which features a seven-part composition by Guy, he plays bass and directs members of his New Orchestra: Evan Parker and Mats Gustafsson on saxophone, Hans Koch on saxophone and clarinet, Herb Robertson on trumpet, Johannes Bauer on trombone, Per Åke Holmlander on tuba, Marilyn Crispell on piano, and Paul Lytton and Raymond Strid on percussion.
Oort–Entropy is an album by bassist Barry Guy. It was recorded in May and July, 2004, at SWR Studio in Baden-Baden, Germany, and was released in 2005 by Intakt Records. On the album, which features a three-part composition by Guy, he plays bass and conducts members of his New Orchestra: Evan Parker and Mats Gustafsson on saxophone, Hans Koch on bass clarinet, Herb Robertson on trumpet, Johannes Bauer on trombone, Per Åke Holmlander on tuba, Agustí Fernández on piano, and Paul Lytton and Raymond Strid on percussion. Oort–Entropy is the group's second recording, following 2001's Inscape–Tableaux.
Gryffgryffgryffs: The 1996 Radio Sweden Concert is a live album by the Guy/Gustafsson/Strid Trio, featuring bassist Barry Guy, saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, and percussionist Raymond Strid, with guest artist Marilyn Crispell on piano. It was recorded on January 22, 1996, at the Radio House, Studio 2, in Stockholm, and was released by the Music & Arts label in 1997. In 2017, the album was reissued in digital form by Catalytic Sound.
The Conscience is a live album by trombonist Paul Rutherford and drummer Sabu Toyozumi. It was recorded on October 11, 1999, at Café Jumbo in Tokoname, Aichi, Japan, and was released in 2017 by NoBusiness Records as part of their Chap Chap series, created in collaboration with the Japanese label of the same name.
Ichnos is an album by English musician Tony Oxley. Released in 1971 by RCA Victor, it features Oxley on percussion, Evan Parker on saxophone, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Paul Rutherford on trombone, Derek Bailey on electric guitar, and Barry Guy on double bass. The musicians are heard in varying combinations: two sextets, two quartets, and a percussion solo.
Live at Maya Recordings Festival is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker, double bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded during September 23–25, 2011, at the Theater am Gleis in Winterthur, Switzerland, and was released on both vinyl and CD in 2013 by NoBusiness Records.