Editing Verve Records

{{short description|American record label}}
{{Distinguish|The Verve|The Verve Pipe}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox record label
| bgcolor     = #000000
| name        = {{color|white|Verve Records}}
| image       = [[File:Verve (logo).svg|120px|class=skin-invert]]
| image_size  = 120px
| parent      = Verve Label Group<br>([[Universal Music Group]] (UMG))
| founded     = {{start date and age|1956}}
| founder     = [[Norman Granz]]
| distributor = Verve Label Group
| genre       = American contemporary; historically [[jazz|jazz music]]
| country     = United States
| location    = [[New York City]], New York
| url         = {{URL|https://www.ververecords.com/}}
}}

'''Verve Records''' is an active American [[record label]] owned by [[Universal Music Group]] (UMG). Founded in 1956 by [[Norman Granz]], the label is home to the world's largest [[jazz]] catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Cal Tjader]], [[Nina Simone]], [[Stan Getz]], [[Bill Evans]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Oscar Peterson]], [[Jon Batiste]], and [[Diana Krall]] among others as well as a diverse mix of other recordings that fall outside of jazz including albums from disparate artists like [[the Velvet Underground]], [[Kurt Vile]], [[Arooj Aftab]], [[Frank Zappa]] and [[the Mothers of Invention]] and many more. It absorbed the catalogues of Granz's earlier label, [[Clef Records]], founded in 1946; [[Norgran Records]], founded in 1953; and material which was previously licensed to [[Mercury Records]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Verve / Clef/ Norgran|url=https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/8-verve/|website=LondonJazzCollector|access-date=10 January 2018|date=26 December 2011}}</ref>

The label has continued to be the home to an eclectic mix of modern artists, including [[Kurt Vile]], [[Everything But the Girl]], [[Samara Joy]] and [[Arooj Aftab]]. The restructured Verve Records is now part of the '''Verve Label Group''' ('''VLG'''), a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. This company is also home to historic imprints including [[Verve Forecast Records|Verve Forecast]], [[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]] and [[Decca Records]].

==History==
Norman Granz created Verve to produce new recordings by [[Ella Fitzgerald]], whom he managed; the first album the label released was ''[[Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book]]''.<ref name="Longreads">{{cite web|last1=Maxwell|first1=Tom|title=The Story of 'Ella and Louis,' 60 Years Later|url=https://blog.longreads.com/2016/11/07/the-story-of-ella-and-louis-60-years-later/|website=Longreads|publisher=Longreads.com|access-date=21 November 2016|date=November 2016}}</ref> The catalog grew throughout the 1950s and 1960s to include [[Charlie Parker]], [[Bill Evans]], [[Stan Getz]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Oscar Peterson]], [[Ben Webster]], and [[Lester Young]].

By 1960 Milton Rudin, Granz' attorney, represented [[Frank Sinatra]] and knew that Sinatra wanted his own label. Sinatra and Granz made a handshake deal, but negotiations broke down over price and Sinatra's desire that Granz remain head of the label. Granz sold Verve to [[MGM]] in 1960. Sinatra established [[Reprise Records]] and hired [[Mo Ostin]], an executive at Verve, to run it. At Verve, [[Creed Taylor]] was made head producer. Taylor adopted a more commercial approach, terminating several contracts. He brought [[bossa nova]] to America with the release of ''[[Jazz Samba]]'' by [[Stan Getz]] and [[Charlie Byrd]], ''[[Getz/Gilberto]]'', and [[Rain Forest (Walter Wanderley album)|''Rain Forest'']] by [[Walter Wanderley]]. Verve's arrangers included [[Claus Ogerman]] and [[Oliver Nelson]]. According to Ogerman in ''Jazzletter'', he arranged 60–70 albums for Verve from 1963 to 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bjbear71.com/Ogerman/Claus-news.html |title=The Work of Claus Ogerman |publisher=Bjbear71.com |access-date=2013-02-28}}</ref>

In 1964, Taylor supervised the creation of a [[folk music]] subsidiary named Verve Folkways which was later renamed [[Verve Forecast Records|Verve Forecast]]. Taylor left Verve in 1967 to form [[CTI Records]]. Aside from jazz, Verve's catalogue included [[the Righteous Brothers]], [[the Velvet Underground]], [[Frank Zappa]] & [[the Mothers of Invention]], [[Rare Earth (band)|Rare Earth]], and [[the Blues Project]], as well as a series of "Sound Impressions of an American on Tour" records which was produced in cooperation with ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' Magazine.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Designed for hi-fi living : the vinyl LP in midcentury America|last=Borgerson|first=Janet|publisher=MIT Press|others=Schroeder, Jonathan E., 1962-|year=2017|isbn=9780262036238|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=269–284|oclc=958205262}}</ref>

The late 1960s relationship between Verve and other MGM labels is illustrated in the promotional "Music Factory" radio series for college stations hosted by A&R man  [[Tom Wilson (record producer)]], with studio guests from a variety of MGM labels: [[Janis Ian]], [[Dave Van Ronk]], [[Richie Havens]], [[the Cowsills]], [[Lovin' Spoonful]] and more. Meanwhile, the program's conversations and advertisements pitched everything from [[Nico]] and the [[Velvet Underground]] (produced by Wilson) and the  [[Bosstown Sound]] bands ([[Beacon Street Union]], [[Ultimate Spinach]] and [[Orpheus]]), to MGM movie-soundtrack LPs like ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://producertomwilson.com/the-music-factory | title=The Music Factory }}</ref>

While the Velvet Underground's first records did not initially sell well, the band became a major influence in independent rock music. See ''[[The Velvet Underground & Nico]]'' and their second album, ''[[White Light/White Heat]]''.

In the 1970s, Verve became part of [[PolyGram]], incorporating the [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]/[[EmArcy Records|EmArcy]] jazz catalog, which [[Philips]], part owners of PolyGram had earlier acquired. Verve Records became the Verve Music Group after PolyGram was merged with [[Seagram]]'s [[Universal Music Group]] in 1999. The jazz holdings from the merged companies were folded into this sub-group.<ref>[http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/entity.php?id=1469] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501091602/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/entity.php?id=1469|date=May 1, 2009}}</ref>

In 1990, British group [[Talk Talk]] signed to Polydor after conflicts with their previous label [[EMI]] regarding a lack of commercial allure on their fourth album, ''[[Spirit of Eden]]''. Their fifth and final album, ''[[Laughing Stock]]'', was released through Verve on September 16, 1991 and, while being slightly divisive at the time, has since been reconsidered by critics and fans as their masterpiece and a precursor to the [[post-rock]] movement.

In the 1990s, as part of PolyGram Classics and Jazz, Verve signed [[Herbie Hancock]], [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Joe Henderson]], [[Roy Hargrove]], [[John Scofield]], [[Shirley Horn]], [[Betty Carter]], [[Abbey Lincoln]], [[Chris Botti]], [[Jeff Lorber]], [[Gino Vannelli]], [[Art Porter, Jr.|Art Porter]], [[Will Downing]], and [[Incognito (band)|Incognito]].

When Universal and PolyGram merged in 1998, Verve's holdings were merged with Universal's [[GRP Records|GRP Recording Company]] to become Verve Music Group. Verve was corporately aligned with Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in 2006 and was no longer a stand-alone label within UMG during that time.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/goldstein-exits-verve-1328900/ | title=Goldstein Exits Verve | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref>

Under this regime, led by UMe's President, Bruce Resnikoff, Verve won the Grammy for album of the year, the first time a jazz record had garnered this award since another Verve album, Stan Getz's Getz/Gilberto, won in 1965.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-qa-umeverve-music-group-presidentceo-bruce-resnikoff-1311455/ | title=Billboard Q&A: UME/Verve Music Group President/CEO Bruce Resnikoff | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref>

Verve Records went through several other leadership changes in the aughts (including stints by Danny Bennett and David Foster) before Jamie Krents took over with a revamped label team in 2019.  Notable moments during this period include the signing of [[Jon Batiste]], [[Samara Joy]], [[Kurt Vile]] and [[Arooj Aftab]].  Verve has had particularly strong showings at the Grammy's since 2019 with [[Jon Batiste]] leading the music industry in 2022 with 11 nominations and 5 wins, including album of the year, as well as a win for Aftab in Best Global Performance, and [[Samara Joy]] winning Best New Artist in 2023, a first in the label's 67-year history.

The Verve imprint itself manages much of the jazz catalog that once belonged to PolyGram (not including recordings by [[Herb Alpert]] for his [[A&M Records]] label which Alpert acquired in a legal settlement with Universal Music and are licensed to [[Shout! Factory]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/42/herb_alpert.aspx |title=Shout! Factory - Herb Alpert |access-date=2011-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161333/http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/42/herb_alpert.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}</ref> while the [[Impulse! Records]] imprint manages the portion of Universal's catalog that was acquired from [[ABC Records]], which itself includes the jazz catalog of the [[Famous Music]] Group, which was once owned by [[Paramount Pictures]]/[[Gulf+Western]], but which was sold to ABC in 1974. Meanwhile, GRP manages the rest of MCA/Universal's jazz catalog, including some releases once issued on the [[Decca Records|Decca]] and [[Chess Records|Chess]] labels.

==Verve Label Group==
The [[Verve Label Group]] is the American contemporary, classic and jazz division of [[Universal Music Group]] in the US. Labels in the group include Verve and [[Impulse! Records]] labels   and [[Universal Music Classics]]. Verve labels are Verve Records and [[Verve Forecast Records|Verve Forecast]]. 
[[Universal Music Classical]]  consists of  [[Decca Gold]] label plus represents the European imprints [[Decca Records]], [[Decca Classics]],  [[Deutsche Grammophon]], [[Philips Classics]] and  [[Mercury KX]] plus [[ECM Records]] distributed label.<ref name="mdw0"/>

On May 20, 2016, the newly-formed Verve Label Group appointed industry veteran Danny Bennett as its president and CEO. Besides Verve, the label group was formed with Decca Records, Decca Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM. The group relocated to New York City.<ref name="mbw">{{cite news |title=Universal rolls up US classical labels into Verve Group in New York |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-rolls-classical-labels-verve-group-us/ |access-date=December 3, 2019 |work=Music Business Worldwide |date=20 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Schneider|first1=Marc|title=Verve Label Group's First Year Under Danny Bennett Marked By Flurry of Executive Moves|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7669034/verve-label-group-danny-bennett-promotions-hirings|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 January 2018}}</ref>

The label group in March 2019 was further restructured to its global classical and jazz unit. Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Universal Classics and Jazz, would lead the group with Bennett exiting his post.<ref name="mdw0">{{cite news |last1=Stassen |first1=Murray |title=Dickon Stainer takes over Verve Label Group in reshuffle as Danny Bennett exits UMG |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-classics-and-jazz-unveils-new-global-structure-under-verve-label-group-led-by-dickon-stainer/ |access-date=December 3, 2019 |work=Music Business Worldwide |date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> The Decca Broadway label for original cast recording was relaunched in May 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Amorosi |first1=A. D. |title=Broadway Cast Albums Find Fresh Footing With Hip New Sounds, Viral Outreach |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/broadway-cast-albums-rejuvenated-hamilton-dear-evan-hansen-1203224792/ |access-date=December 3, 2019 |work=Variety |date=May 23, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

The Verve Label Group has expanded its output beyond jazz to include crossover classical music, progressive pop, and show tunes (by absorbing [[Decca Records]]' [[Decca Broadway|Broadway]] label and taking over ownership of the label's library including [[EMI]]'s, [[MGM Records]]', and [[MCA Records]]' musical theater catalogs).<ref>{{cite web|last=Duquette |first=Mike |url=http://theseconddisc.com/2013/10/31/happy-halloween-wicked-turns-10-celebrates-with-deluxe-reissue/ |title=Happy Halloween! "Wicked" Turns 10, Celebrates With Deluxe Reissue |website=Theseconddisc.com |date=2013-10-31 |access-date=2017-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universalmusic.com/labels |title=Our Labels & Brands - UMG |website=Universalmusic.com |access-date=2017-07-21}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Verve Records discography}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/ Official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209095135/http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/ |date=2010-02-09 }}
* [http://bjbear71.com/Ogerman/creed.html Article about Creed Taylor]

{{Universal Music Group}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Verve Records| ]]
[[Category:Verve Records labels| ]]
[[Category:American jazz record labels]]
[[Category:Universal Music Group]]
[[Category:Labels distributed by Universal Music Group]]
[[Category:Record labels based in California]]
[[Category:Companies based in Santa Monica, California]]
[[Category:Record labels established in 1956]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Re-established companies]]