CTI Records (Creed Taylor Incorporated) is a jazz record label founded in 1967 by Creed Taylor. CTI was a subsidiary of A&M before becoming independent in 1970. Its first album was A Day in the Life by guitarist Wes Montgomery in 1967. The final release, by the CTI Jazz All-Star Band, was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2009, and released in November 2010 on multiple formats: CD, DVD and Blu-ray.
Its roster included George Benson, Ron Carter, Eumir Deodato, Astrud Gilberto, Freddie Hubbard, Bob James, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hubert Laws, Airto Moreira, Stanley Turrentine, and Walter Wanderley.
History Don Sebesky created many of the arrangements for CTI and its subsidiary labels. He was later joined by Bob James and then David Matthews in the mid-1970s. Taylor used Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with Rudy Van Gelder engineering nearly all sessions until the later years of the label. Sessions included Ron Carter, Eric Gale, Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Richard Tee, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Gadd, Idris Muhammad, and Harvey Mason.
CTI was commercially successful with certain albums. CTI's best-selling album was Deodato's Prelude, which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard albums chart in 1973. A single from the album, "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)", peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 in the UK. Other successful singles were Bob James' "Feel Like Making Love", and Esther Phillips' "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes", a disco hit.
Successful album releases included Grover Washington, Jr.'s Mister Magic and Feels So Good (both reaching No. 10 in 1975), Esther Phillips' What a Diff'rence a Day Makes (reaching No. 32 in 1975), and Bob James' BJ4 (reaching No. 38 in 1977).
Taylor's productions for CTI helped to establish jazz fusion as a commercially viable musical genre. CTI also became known for its striking album sleeve designs, most of them with images by photographer Pete Turner.Feature on CTI Records at dougpayne.comPete Turner: Album Covers (Part 2), Jazzwax, April 9, 2008.
After founding CTI as a jazz label for A & M Records in 1967, Taylor decided to go independent three years later. The company had several subsidiary labels. Kudu Records was established in 1971 and concentrated on soul jazz with albums by Joe Beck, Hank Crawford, Grant Green, Idris Muhammad, Esther Phillips, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Grover Washington Jr. Salvation Records released 10 albums during its existence, including music by Airto, Roland Hanna, Faith Howard, New York Jazz Quartet, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, and Gábor SzabóSalvation Records discography Greenestreet (which released albums by Jack Wilkins, Claudio Roditi, Les McCann) and Three Brothers (with recordings by The Clams, Lou Christie, Duke Jones, and Cassandra Morgan).
A switch to Motown Records for distribution was to end in difficulties in 1977, with legal and financial problems eventually leading to the label filing for bankruptcy in 1978. CTI, though, remained active until 1984, releasing studio albums by Ray Barretto, Urszula Dudziak, Jim Hall, Roland Hanna, Nina Simone, and the all-star studio band Fuse One
Taylor restructured CTI in 1989, resuming his association with Van Gelder and Turner in June 1989 when recording the all-star session for Rhythmstick, an ambitious album released on vinyl, CD, VHS, and LaserDisc in 1990. Many young musicians were signed to the label, such as Charles Fambrough, Jim Beard, Ted Rosenthal, Bill O'Connell, Donald Harrison, Steve Laury, and Jurgen Friedrich, as well as veteran guitarist Larry Coryell, who collaborated with arranger Don Sebesky on the best-selling Fallen Angel album, which reached No. 18 in the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart in 1993.
CTI's post-A&M Records catalog (albums released between 1970 and 1979) is owned by Sony and distributed by Masterworks Jazz in the USA. King Records handles the rights for exclusive distribution in Japan. Grover Washington, Jr.'s Kudu albums have been re-issued by Motown and its MoJazz imprint as part of Universal Classics & Jazz. Bob James owns the four albums he recorded for CTI (now managed by Evolution Music Group under license from Tappan Zee, James' record label). Seawind also owns their back catalog of CTI releases. CTI's A&M-subsidiary releases are distributed by Verve, a division of Universal Music Group.
In 2009, Taylor produced a reissue series of twenty CTI titles remastered by Van Gelder for release on SHM-CD format in Japan. New liner notes were provided by Ira Gitler, Arnaldo DeSouteiro, and Doug Payne. Other reissue series came out in December 2013 (including forty titles released on Blu-spec CD format) and in December 2017 with another forty titles on the CTI 50th Anniversary Collection.
Discography
3000 Series The albums comprising the CTI 3000 Series were produced by Creed Taylor between 1967 and 1970 and issued by A&M with a "CTI" logo on the front cover. Catalog number (mono) Catalog number (stereo) Artist Title SP 3000 Various Artists Audio Master Plus Series Sampler Volume 1 LP 2001 SP 3001 Wes Montgomery A Day in the Life LP 2002 SP 3002 Antonio Carlos Jobim Wave LP 2003 SP 3003 Herbie Mann Glory of Love LP 2004 SP 3004 Tamba 4 We and the Sea SP 3005 Nat Adderley You, Baby SP 3006 Wes Montgomery Down Here on the Ground SP 3007 Artie Butler Have You Met Miss Jones? SP 3008 Kai Winding and J. J. Johnson Israel SP 3009 Soul Flutes Trust in Me SP 3010 Richard Barbary Soul Machine SP 3011 Tamiko Jones I'll Be Anything for You SP 3012 Wes Montgomery Road Song SP 3013 Tamba 4 Samba Blim SP 3014 George Benson Shape of Things to Come SP 3015 Paul Desmond Summertime SP 3016 Kai Winding and J. J. Johnson Betwixt & Between SP 3017 Nat Adderley Calling Out Loud SP 3018 Walter Wanderley When It Was Done SP 3019 Milton Nascimento Courage SP 3020 George Benson Tell It Like It Is SP 6-3021 Various Artists Audio Master Plus Series Audio Sampler, Vol. 2 SP 3022 Walter Wanderley Moondreams SP 3023 Quincy Jones Walking in Space SP 3024 Paul Desmond From the Hot Afternoon SP 3025 George Benson I Got a Woman and Some Blues SP 3026 Hubert Laws Unissued SP 3027 Kai Winding and J. J. Johnson Stonebone (Originally only issued in Japan; Re-issued as 2020 Record Store Day pressing in Red Vinyl) SP 3028 George Benson The Other Side of Abbey Road SP 3030 Quincy Jones Gula Matari SP 3031 Antonio Carlos Jobim Tide
1000 Series In 1970, Creed Taylor established CTI independently of A&M and issued the first five releases as the 1000 Series which had a green record label. The 1000 Series featured artists working outside of the jazz genre. Catalog number Artist Title CTI 1001 Kathy McCord Kathy McCord CTI 1002 Hubert Laws Crying Song CTI 1003 Flow Flow CTI 1004 Dave Frishberg Oklahoma Toad CTI 1005 Fats Theus Black Out
6000 series The albums in the CTI 6000 series were released between 1970 and 1976 and featured an orange CTI label with black print,Edwards, D. & Callahan, M. CTI Albums discography accessed February 3, 2012 but Quadraphonic issues featured a red label variant. Later albums in the 6000 series were distributed by Motown and are designated by the addition of an S1 to the catalog number. Catalog number Artist Title CTI 6000 Hubert Laws Crying Song (Reissue of CTI 1002) CTI 6001 Freddie Hubbard Red Clay CTI 6002 Antonio Carlos Jobim Stone Flower CTI 6003 Joe Farrell Joe Farrell Quartet CTI 6004 Bill Evans Montreux II CTI 6005 Stanley Turrentine Sugar CTI 6006 Hubert Laws Afro-Classic CTI 6007 Freddie Hubbard Straight Life CTI 6008 Astrud Gilberto Gilberto with Turrentine CTI 6009 George Benson Beyond the Blue Horizon CTI 6010 Stanley Turrentine Salt Song CTI 6011 Kenny Burrell God Bless the Child CTI 6012 Hubert Laws The Rite of Spring CTI 6013 Freddie Hubbard First Light CTI 6014 Joe Farrell Outback CTI 6015 George Benson White Rabbit CTI 6016 Randy Weston Blue Moses CTI 6017 Stanley Turrentine with Milt Jackson Cherry CTI 6018 Freddie Hubbard Sky Dive CTI 6019 Jackie and Roy Time & Love CTI 6020 Airto Free CTI 6021 Deodato Prelude CTI 6022 Hubert Laws Morning Star CTI 6023 Joe Farrell Moon Germs CTI 6024 Milt Jackson Sunflower CTI 6025 Hubert Laws Carnegie Hall CTI 6026 Gábor Szabó Mizrab CTI 6027 Ron Carter Blues Farm CTI 6028 Airto Fingers CTI 6029 Deodato Deodato 2 CTI 6030 Stanley Turrentine Don't Mess with Mister T. CTI 6031/32 Don Sebesky Giant Box CTI 6033 George Benson Body Talk CTI 6034 Joe Farrell Penny Arcade CTI 6035 Gábor Szabó Rambler CTI 6036 Freddie Hubbard Keep Your Soul Together CTI 6037 Ron Carter All Blues CTI 6038 Milt Jackson with Hubert Laws Goodbye CTI 6039 Paul Desmond featuring Gábor Szabó Skylark CTI 6040 Jackie Cain & Roy Kral A Wilder Alias CTI 6041 Deodato/Airto In Concert CTI 6042S1 Joe Farrell Upon This Rock CTI 6043S1 Bob James One CTI 6044S1 Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine in Concert Volume One CTI 6045S1 George Benson Bad Benson CTI 6046S1 Milt Jackson Olinga CTI 6047S1 Freddie Hubbard The Baddest Hubbard CTI 6048S1 Stanley Turrentine The Baddest Turrentine CTI 6049S1 Herbie Hancock/Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine In Concert Volume Two CTI 6050S1 Chet Baker She Was Too Good to Me CTI 6051S1 Ron Carter Spanish Blue CTI 6052S1 Stanley Turrentine The Sugar Man CTI 6053S1 Joe Farrell Canned Funk CTI 6054S1 Gerry Mulligan / Chet Baker Carnegie Hall Concert Volume 1 CTI 6055S1 Gerry Mulligan / Chet Baker Carnegie Hall Concert Volume 2 CTI 6056S1 Freddie Hubbard Polar AC CTI 6057S1 Bob James Two CTI 6058S1 Hubert Laws The Chicago Theme CTI 6059S1 Paul Desmond Pure Desmond CTI 6060S1 Jim Hall Concierto CTI 6061S1 Don Sebesky The Rape of El Morro CTI 6062 George Benson Good King Bad CTI 6063 Bob James Three CTI 6064 Ron Carter Yellow & Green CTI 6065 Hubert Laws Then There Was Light: In the Beginning Vol. 1 CTI 6066 Hubert Laws Then There Was Light: In the Beginning Vol. 2 CTI 6067 Joe Farrell Song of the Wind (Reissue of CTI 6003) CTI 6068 Allan Holdsworth Velvet Darkness CTI 6069 George Benson and Joe Farrell Benson & Farrell CTI 6072S1 George Benson In Concert-Carnegie Hall
CTI Twofer series The albums in the CTI Twofer series were double albums released between 1972 and 1974.CTI Records Catalog: 6000 series - album index accessed November 14, 2019 Catalog number Artist Title CTX 3+3 Hubert Laws In the Beginning CTX 2+2 CTI All-Stars (George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto) California Concert - The Hollywood Palladium
5000 Series The 5000 Series was introduced in 1975 as a series of popular music recordings and consist of eight issued albums.Payne D. CTI 5000 Series accessed February 28, 2012 Only a handful in this series were produced by Creed Taylor; outside producers handled the rest, like Harvey Mason producing Seawind's albums and David Grusin and Larry Rosen producing Patti Austin's second album. The first releases features a "P.S." (which stood for "Pop Series") inside the familiar CTI logo. Catalog number Artist Title CTI 5000 Lalo Schifrin Black Widow CTI 5001 Patti Austin End of a Rainbow CTI 5002 Seawind Seawind CTI 5003 Lalo Schifrin Towering Toccata CTI 5004 John Blair We Belong Together CTI 5005 David Matthews Dune CTI 5006 Patti Austin Havana Candy CTI 5007 Seawind Window of a Child
7000 Series The 7000 Series continued the numbering sequence from the 6000 Series after it ended its distribution deal with Motown.