# Circle Records

Circle Records is a jazz record label founded in 1946 by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis.

## History

In New York, Blesh and Janis heard jazz drummer Warren "Baby" Dodds playing inventive solos with Bunk Johnson's band. Blesh said he hated drum solos until he saw Dodds. To record Dodds and others, they started Circle Records. The name was given by fellow audience member Marcel Duchamp.
Circle recorded traditional jazz of the time, and its releases included Chippie Hill, George Lewis, and broadcasts of Blesh's This is Jazz radio show. The label was the first to release Jelly Roll Morton's Library of Congress recordings. Blesh and Janis continued the label until 1952. Circle Records also released modern classical music by artists including Henry Cowell and Paul Hindemith.
Circle was bought in the mid-1960s by George H. Buck, Jr. The Circle catalog is now under the control of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. Some of the original Circle recordings have been reissued on compact disc through other labels controlled by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation, including American Music, Southland, and Jazzology.
This Circle Records is not to be confused with the German record label of the same name.

## Selected label discography: 1946–1952

The first record issued by Circle Records was by the Baby Dodds Trio. Many of their subsequent releases were albums of from two to four 10", 78 RPM shellac records, issued in a binder. Many of the albums included cover art by Jimmy Ernst or Charles Alston.
| Catalog No. | Artist | Title | Personnel | Notes |
| J-1001 | Baby Dodds Trio | "Wolverine Blues / Drum Improvisation No. 1" | Clarinet– Albert Nicholas Piano – Don Ewell Drums – Baby Dodds | Later included on Circle album S-17 |
| C-1 | Chippie Hill | "Chippie Hill And The Blues: Now Appearing At The Village Vanguard" | Trumpet – Lee Collins Piano – Lovie Austin, J.H. Shayne Bass – John Lindsay Drums – Baby Dodds | Two 78 RPM records. Reissued on Riverside Records RLP 1059 |
| S-1 | Original Zenith Brass Band | "Marching Jazz" | Trumpet – Kid Howard, Peter Bocage Trombone – Jim Robinson Clarinet – George Lewis Baritone Horn – Harrison Barnes Mellophone – Isidore Barbarin Tuba – Joe Howard Bass Drum – Lawrence Marrero Snare Drum – Baby Dodds | Cover art by Charles Alston. Three 78 RPM records. Reissued on Riverside Records RLP 1058 |
| S-2 | Montana Taylor | "Barrel House Blues" | Piano – Montana Taylor | Three 78 RPM records. |
| S-3 | Dan Burley | "South Side Shake" | Guitar – Brownie McGhee, Globe Trotter McGhee Piano – Dan Burley Bass – Pops Foster | Three 78 RPM records. |
| S-8 | Tony Parenti's Ragtimers | "The Ragtime Band" | Cornet – Wild Bill Davison Trombone – Jimmy Archey Clarinet – Tony Parenti Piano – Ralph Sutton Banjo – Danny Barker Tuba – Cy St. Clair Drums – Baby Dodds | Three 78 RPM records. Reissued on Riverside Records RLP 12-205 |
| S-9 | Wild Bill Davison | "Wild Bill Davison Showcase" | Cornet – Wild Bill Davison Trombone – Jimmy Archey Clarinet, Bassoon – Garvin Bushell Piano, Celeste – Ralph Sutton Bass – Sid Weiss Drums – Morey Feld | Three 78 RPM records. Reissued on Circle Records LP L-405 |
| S-15 | The All Star Stompers | "This Is Jazz, Vol. 3" | Cornet – Wild Bill Davison Trombone – Jimmy Archey Clarinet – Edmond Hall, Albert Nicholas Piano – Ralph Sutton, James P. Johnson Guitar – Danny Barker Bass – Pops Foster Drums – Baby Dodds | Three 78 RPM records. Material recorded for Rudi Blesh's radio show “This Is Jazz” |
| S-20 | Ralph Sutton | "St. Louis Piano" | Piano – Ralph Sutton | Two 78 RPM records. |
| S-21 | Tony Parenti's Ragpickers | "Tony Parenti's Ragpickers" | Clarinet – Tony Parenti Piano – Ralph Sutton Drums – George Wettling | Three 78 RPM records. Reissued on Riverside Records RLP 12-205 |
| L-51-100 | Paul Hindemith | Four Compositions By Paul Hindemith | | Released on LP. Part of the Composer's Workshop series. |
| L-51-101 | Henry Cowell | The Piano Music Of Henry Cowell | | Released on LP. Part of the Composer's Workshop series. |
| Vol. I to Vol. XII | Jelly Roll Morton | "The Saga Of Mr. Jelly Lord" | Piano, Vocals – Jelly Roll Morton | The Library of Congress recordings, released as a series of albums with three or four 78 RPM red vinyl records. Reissued by Circle as L 14001 to L 14012; and by Riverside as RLP 9001 to RLP 9012. |

## Circle Records today

Circle Records was reactivated and is used by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation to release swing music. The reactivated Circle label put out recordings from the Lang-Worth and World transcriptions.
* Ray Anthony
* Charlie Barnet
* Count Basie
* Les Brown
* Frankie Carle
* Bill Challis
* Bob Crosby
* Xavier Cugat
* Jimmy Dorsey
* Tommy Dorsey
* Duke Ellington
* Ziggy Elman
* Vince Giordano
* Benny Goodman
* Glen Gray
* Woody Herman
* Dean Hudson
* Harry James
* Henry Jerome
* Jonah Jones
* Louis Jordan
* Sammy Kaye
* Hal Kemp
* John Kirby
* Gene Krupa
* Don Lamond
* Jimmie Lunceford
* Clyde McCoy
* Jimmy McPartland
* Glenn Miller
* Russ Morgan
* Ray Nance
* Don Neely
* Ray Noble
* Red Norvo
* Tony Pastor
* Teddy Powell
* Boyd Raeburn
* Charlie Spivak
* Maxine Sullivan
* Claude Thornhill
* Chick Webb
* Bob Wilber
* Clarence Williams