We love the sound of vinyl…

but what really drew us to creating Newvelle is that we saw in the vinyl resurgence an opportunity for a new concept for releasing music. A musically and aesthetically uncompromising model, devoted to high quality, where musicians are paid upfront and keep their rights to the music and where a stable economic model is provided by a membership base, allowing the art to be paramount.  Sounds pretty good, right?

We are incredibly proud to present our first series of records including: 

• Frank Kimbrough Quintet 
• Jack Dejohnette Solo Piano  
• Noah Preminger Quartet featuring Ben Monder, John Patitucci and Billy Hart 
• Don Friedman Trio playing the music of Booker Little with Phil Palombi and Shinnosuke Takahashi 
• Ben Allison Trio featuring Ted Nash and Steve Cardenas  
• Leo Genovese Trio featuring Esperanza Spalding and Jack DeJohnette

Is there a place left for record companies in 2016?

We’re dedicated to building a label that cuts no corners sonically and aesthetically and allows musicians to control their own rights over the music. Musicians grant us a window of a few years when the music is available only at Newvelle and only on vinyl. Our model is based on building an exclusive community interested in hearing this music in the best possible presentation.

We think this new model for releasing quality music has legs, however, we’ve taken this as far as we can without YOUR help. We want to prove that there’s an audience out there for this music, presented exclusively and without compromise. When we meet our fundraising goals we’ll not only be able to press our current series but we’ll be back in the studio recording ournext series for Newvelle.

It has been such an honor that the musicians and artists we are working with believe in us and this new concept and have come together to create Newvelle Records’ first series of recordings. All six recordings are in the can, mixed and ready to press. We will be pressing 180 gram vinyl with Bernard Plossu’s artwork on beautiful 400 gram matte gatefolds at the world renown MPO plant outside of Paris. Sleeves will be printed with poetry from Pulitzer Prize winning poet Tracy K. Smith, with design from eminent Parisian designer Antoine Leroux. 

We are offering lots of goodies for members of Newvelle; invitations to exclusive events, a look behind the scene, an online community of enthusiasts…but the essence of what we are doing is making a product that’s unique and beautiful enough that YOU will want to join and support this growing community. Join us and make Newvelle Records a reality.

Here’s a little preview of Jack DeJohnette’s first ever solo piano recording. With your help, “Return” will be out on vinyl this April. 

 Video shot and edited by Jim Hoppin.

Bernard Plossu…

A legendary French photographer, Bernard has published 17 books of photography and has had expositions all over the world, including retrospectives at the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, The Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderna de Valence and The Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg.  Among many other awards, Bernard is a recipient of the Grand Prix National de la Photographie, France.

Bernard is our first featured artist at Newvelle.  Thanks to some curating help from our friendAndrew Burke, Bernard Plossu’s work will comprise the covers AND full size color gatefold interiors for our initial six records. Picture this in full 12″ by 12″ 400 gram matte…

 We believe vinyl is answering a question in the music industry that the industry didn’t see coming; “How do I reconnect with recorded music?” We’ve recorded some phenomenal music and we’re releasing it on what we think is the best sounding medium. We are above all music lovers and musicians.

We are very, very proud that the extraordinary American poet Tracy K. Smith has supported us by printing her works on the interior of sleeves of our first series of records. Finding these poems and the way we believe they harmonize with Bernard’s and the musicians’ work was a lightning strike.

Tracy is the author of the memoir Ordinary Light and three books of poetry: Life on Mars, which received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize; Duende, recipient of the 2006 James Laughlin Award, and The Body’s Question, which won the 2002 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Smith is also the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Fellowship, a Rona Jaffe Award and a Whiting Award.

Our presentation video was shot by Jim Hoppin and Ben Chace and edited by Ben Chace.

Source: icnw