EARLY RECORDINGS
Alaadeen’s recording career first began while he was still a teenager and living in his native Kansas City. Among his first commercial recordings was one in a big band setting with Crown Prince Waterford and Jimmy Witherspoon in 1950. Alaadeen recorded and performed as one of the alto saxophonists heard on one of the tracks, titled: “Eatin’ Watermelon” on that date. This particular session has been re-issued on CD by Worlds Records on the CLASSICS R&B; Label. [see inset]
MODERN ERA
Alaadeen’s recording career continued into the modern era of the compact disc. Jazz music had taken another drastic turn in musical Alaadeen recorded on the original release of this Crown Prince Waterford recording!evolution during the 1970s with the Fusion Era. However, Alaadeen found himself working and recording steadily nonetheless. Subsequently, he has also since recorded on records for notable jazz and blues labels like: Groove Note Records of Los Angeles, CA; and, Palmetto Records of New York. He appeared on several artist compilation CDs, continued in the supporting role of studio musician, and as a hired featured soloist performer for other artists as well. However, due largely to his own unique creativity, it was also during this time that Alaadeen began to seriously contemplate the idea of recording his own original compositions as a leader. Significant to his considerations were the dynamics of the recording business at the time, and some of the situations he had seen some of his peers and contemporaries encounter with record labels. Alaadeen simply wanted to create music, sharing the positive impact it has with others. He has been recording for over 50 years.
Alaadeen performed on Norman Hedman’s Paletto Records releaseRather than simply sign with an established label or seek a recording career along the traditional recording artist routes of that time, Alaadeen concluded that the best scenario for his professional goals and creative vision would be to remain an independent artist. During this period, he started observing unprecedented advances in the areas of recording technology and distribution. Alaadeen also embraced the technological platform offered to any artist via the World Wide Web and Internet. Also, the parallel advances in recording technologies made producing independent jazz recordings a viable undertaking as well. Alaadeen decided to test the market with a recorded release under his own name. His first solo release was issued in 1990 by Fandeen Publishing Company, Inc. of Kansas City, and aptly titled: “Live Jazz on the Plaza”. The encouragement received from this local release led to the ultimate formation of ‘ASR RECORDS as a formal record label entity.
THE ‘ASR RECORDS LABEL
Alaadeen’s first solo artist release was made in 1990 by Fandeen Publishing Company, Inc.’ASR RECORDS was officially co-founded in 1995 by Alaadeen; along with longtime community arts advocate, Victoria “Fanny” Dunfee. Their initial purpose and goals, which were relatively modest and simple, centered on providing a professional music label for deserving recording artist talent. Alaadeen was also the initial founding artist on the label, with his first commercial US Release of the CD titled, “Blues for RC and Josephine Too (ASR1001)”. That debut release was met with qualified critical praise by such established music industry publications as Jazz Times, Billboard Magazine, and the All Music Guide. Like all great music, this CD continues to receive significant radio airplay, and Alaadeen’s band on this recording was even cited as “Best Unsigned Band” by a distiguished panel of industry experts through Musician Magazine.
The success of this 1995 debut label recording has formally validated the co-founders’ initial purpose and goals. “Blues for RC and Josephine Too (ASR1001)” was now tangible evidence that artists who create recordings of the highest artistic qualities, do not necessarily sacrifice the important business aspects of commercial viability in doing so. Since those early times, ‘ASR RECORDS has expanded its focus to include other recording artists and producers on the label’s roster. The label business model serves as a recording artist cooperative in function, whereby different generations of musicians are linked together through this form of mutually qualified peer association. ‘ASR RECORDS is a small legitimate collective of high caliber artists, indeed. But also, a true jazz record label roster in reality. And after 10 years, ‘ASR RECORDS is a viable label well beyond consideration as an undertaking of mere vanity.