Hard Bop Records is a company inspired by the independent jazz labels - such as Prestige, EmArcy and Riverside - that sprang up during the 1940's and 50's along with the advent of the Long Playing Record.

Thanks to this innovation, jazz could be recorded without the time limits that 45rpm disks had so far imposed. For the first time, labels could take working bands into the studio and record them performing exactly as they would in a club.

They could also arrange studio "jam sessions", and even take their recording equipment directly into clubs, producing "live" albums which became very popular with jazz fans. Inevitably, recording in this manner yielded varying results, so it seems surprising that so many of the albums recorded in this way have stood the test of time.

At Hard Bop Records, we believe that the reason for this is that as an improvised art-form, jazz is by its nature imperfect, and it is only by accepting this that the essence of the music can truly be caught. Often, record producers try to apply commercial production values to jazz albums - such as over-dubbing and multi-tracking - in an attempt to iron out any 'flaws' in the performances, resulting in music that can seem sterile and lacking in spontaneity. Most importantly, these production values also affect the recording process itself, because in order to make over-dubbing possible, musicians within a group must be completely separated into sound-proof booths - which makes the use of headphones necessary. Although these obstacles are by no means insurmountable, they are nevertheless more of a hindrance to creativity than a help.

Hard Bop Records aims to make albums that truly represent the musicians' playing, not only by recording them in as unobtrusive a way as possible, but also by allowing them the freedom to play what they want, whether it be their own material, standards or blues.