Bruce Lundvall
Bruce Lundvall, is an American record company executive, most known as being the President/CEO of the Blue Note Label Group, reporting directly to Eric Nicoli, the Chief Executive Officer of EMI Group.
Career
In a career spanning 48 years, Bruce Lundvall signed a wide array of artists, including Willie Nelson, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, James Taylor, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Richard Marx, Natalie Cole, Cassandra Wilson, Anita Baker and Norah Jones. He heads the following labels: Blue Note Records (jazz), Angel Records (classical), and Manhattan Records (adult pop).
Lundvall began his music career in marketing at Columbia Records where he remained for 21 years, becoming President of the domestic division of CBS Records in 1976. In the course of his tenure, he built Columbia’s jazz roster into the largest of any major label.
In 1979, Bruce Lundvall organized and sponsored in Havana, Cuba, the historic Havana Jam festival that took place between 2–4 March, with Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnegan, Weather Report, and Billy Joel, plus an array of Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines and Orquesta Aragón. Their performances are captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79, and on the two Columbia albums Havana Jam and Havana Jam II.
Lundvall moved to Elektra in 1982, where he became President of Elektra Records and the newly created Elektra/Musician Jazz label.
In 1984, he was approached with an offer to create Manhattan, a pop music label based on the East Coast, for EMI, as well as to revive the legendary, long-suspended Blue Note jazz label. Lundvall accepted the challenge and has steered the label to unsurpassed heights, most recently through signing an unknown Norah Jones who has since sold millions of her debut and follow-up albums, respectively Come Away With Me and Feels Like Home, all over the world.
Lundvall has served as chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Chairman of the Country Music Association (CMA) and Director of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). He has received three Grammy nominations and a NARM presidential award.[1]
Bruce Lundvall is an honored member of Board of Directors Advisory committee of The Jazz Foundation of America.[2]
Awards
- 1996 — Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America
- 1998 — Down Beat Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2004 — MIDEM Personality of the Year Award
References
- ^ EMI Press Release, Dec. 6, 2004
- ^ jazzfoundation.org. 2009-05-11. URL: http://www.jazzfoundation.org/Gala_Sponsorship_Packages.pdf. Accessed: 2009-05-11. (Archived by jazzfoundation.org at http://www.jazzfoundation.org/Gala_Sponsorship_Packages.pdf)
