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Owl Studios: Building a jazz community in Indy
Posted: Dec 21, 2007
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In its storied heyday, the Indianapolis jazz scene was overloaded with talented musicians, producing such breakout stars as guitarist Wes Montgomery and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
"There were 12 to 15 clubs," recalled David Baker, a renowned jazz educator and composer, "so many places to play. All the musicians coming through the Civic Theatre or the English Theatre would come out to listen or play after working Downtown."
But during that vibrant time in the 1940s and '50s, local musicians had to hit the road to make a career and reflect glory on their hometown. Hubbard went to New York, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and pianist-vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery moved to the West Coast, and trombonist J.J. Johnson toured the country.
Today, that sort of move is less necessary, though the pull of New York remains strong. Having an active Indianapolis jazz label may enable artists based here to go in and out of other markets where their music is known.
Into this scene steps Owl Studios, named for a bird legendary for both wisdom and nocturnal habits. Label boss J. Allan Hall is counting on retaining the wisdom while putting the city's jazz scene in bright lights all over the map.
"It's time to let the world know who we are and what we have to offer," he declared.
An insurance man who moved here in 1981, Hall has nurtured a love of jazz since his underage eavesdropping days in San Francisco's North Beach district.
In 1970, Hall turned his infatuation with the African popular music he heard while in the Peace Corps into an attempt to represent some of those bands in this country.
"I found out that all tours and all records are controlled by the big boys," he recalled ruefully. After that venture failed, Hall put his dreams of being a music entrepreneur on hold as he pursued his insurance career. Gradually, he found in Indianapolis a strong jazz community under-represented on record. In 2005, he established Owl Studios, a music label with offices overlooking Monument Circle.
Hall has armed himself with an arsenal of local jazz heavy-hitters -- vocalist Cynthia Layne, pianists Claude Sifferlen and Steve Allee, saxophonist Rob Dixon, clarinetist-saxophonist Frank Glover and the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra -- all of whom maintain Indiana as their home base. Dixon also serves as the label's artists and repertoire director.
As more music moves to online distribution, the physical product is still of interest to jazz fans. Hall wants to serve those customers while striking what he sees as fair bargains for musicians signed to his label.
"We have two agreements with artists: licensing what they've already produced -- selling what they have, repackaging it to conform to our image, design consistency -- and new creations, for which we have a production contract. We take care of the financial obligation in getting a recording produced," Hall said.
All of veteran pianist-bandleader Allee's old recordings have been taken up by the new label, including "Downtown Blues," a 1982 Grammy nominee released originally as an LP.
"We've all known the rich resources of musicians in this city," said Allee, 57. "And the record industry has been turned upside down in the last five years (as major record labels have eliminated jazz divisions). So for a person like Al Hall to take on this project is admirable. ... He's a very good businessman and will revisit the whole approach to the record label."
Baker, director of jazz studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, believes the label may fill a need.
The Indianapolis native points to the difference between the fabled Indiana Avenue scene of the 1940s and '50s, in which he participated as a trombonist, and today.
"There wasn't a recording studio here then that I can remember," Baker said by phone from his Bloomington home. "It's a lot less extravagant to set one up today, and it sounds like this one has the possibility of capturing all the things that are happening now."
Although musicians signed to Owl Studios have wide options of where to record, many of the new recordings come from the Static Shack at Binford Boulevard and 71st Street, with Gary Mielke at the helm as producer.
Owl Studios has forged contracts this year with nationally connected publicists to assure that its artists are known elsewhere.
The firm tracks radio airplay and works to get its products reviewed in international print and online publications. Jazziz magazine just named the BWJO's "Carol of the Bells" one of its "12 Discs of Christmas."
The label also has developed an international outreach. "We're getting a reputation in Japan and South Africa, too," said Hall.
Its most ambitious linkage of touring musicians and their recordings is now focused on a jazz festival in South Africa next March.
Owl Studios doesn't emblazon its Indiana origins on its products. But the artistic emphasis is here, and Hall said he wouldn't mind if the business helped generate the Indianapolis jazz equivalent of "the Seattle sound" in rock.
"A more community-oriented jazz record company can look to other talented people to come in," said Baker, cautiously echoing Hall's optimism.
"Maybe it's overdue, now that Indianapolis is no longer Naptown. Maybe there's such a time as now for Owl Studios to make its mark."
Hall allows himself to entertain an even more visionary scenario.
"I'd like to have musicians settle here," he said. "It can be a destination -- there are all sorts of things we can offer.
"Who knows? Guys who are fed up with New York could come here to live."
Under the Owl
Owl Studios has rounded up much local talent to represent in its expanding CD catalog, a combination of freshly recorded music and reissues of signed artists' previous recordings. Here's a rundown of active performers represented in the catalog with new or forthcoming releases and upcoming local appearances:
Steve Allee
Recent release: "Colors," with Tim Horner and Bill Moring.
Upcoming performance: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18, University of Indianapolis, with New York saxophonist Rich Perry.
Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra
Recent release: "Carol of the Bells," with vocalist Everett Greene.
Upcoming performances: The Midcoast Swing Orchestra, Buselli-Wallarab's 11-piece swing band, 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays, the Jazz Kitchen.
Rob Dixon
Recent release: "What Things Could Be"; with Dixon-Rhyne Project, "Re-Invention" (scheduled for February release).
Upcoming performances: 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Jazz Kitchen; 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday with the Dixon/Rhyne Project, featuring organist Melvin Rhyne (also at the Jazz Kitchen).
Frank Glover
Recent release: "Politico."
Upcoming performances: 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays, with the Frank Glover Quartet, the Jazz Kitchen; 8 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Claude Sifferlen, Chatterbox Jazz Club.
Cynthia Layne
Recent release: "Beautiful Soul."
Upcoming performance: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. New Year's Eve, the Jazz Kitchen.
Claude Sifferlen
Recent releases: Two or three releases planned for 2008.
Upcoming performances: 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturdays at Sullivan's Steakhouse in Castleton, with bassist Joe Deal.
I was happy to have found this post. Knowing we have quality jazz musicians that have no desire to leave this state and now I know where they will be playing. It doesn't matter how far I drive for the quality, although I do enjoy hearing David Baker here in Bloomington, but listening to him and his band in the MAC just isn't the same atmosphere to relax with cosmo in hand. I will definately add the Jazz Kitchen and Chatterbox Jazz Club to my favorites.