{{Short description|American record label}} {{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music --> | name =Novus Records | image = | parent = Arista Records | founded = {{start date|1978}} | founder =Clive Davis | defunct = | status = Defunct | distributor = | genre = Jazz | country = U.S. | location = <!-- headquarters city and state --> | website = }}
'''Novus Records''' (later '''Arista Novus''' and '''RCA Novus''') was an American jazz record label run by Steve Backer. Backer worked at Impulse! Records until 1974, when Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, asked him to oversee the jazz division at Arista.<ref name="Chinen">{{cite web|last1=Chinen|first1=Nate|title=Steve Backer, a Force for Jazz at Major Labels, Dies at 76|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/arts/music/steve-backer-advocate-for-jazz-records-dies-at-76.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|access-date=1 February 2017|date=23 April 2014}}</ref>
Backer left Arista in the early 1980s, worked for Windham Hill Records, and then went to RCA to run Novus.<ref name="Chinen" /> Novus's roster included Muhal Richard Abrams, Warren Bernhardt, Steve Coleman, Larry Coryell, Oliver Lake, Steve Lacy, James Moody, Hilton Ruiz, and Henry Threadgill. Beginning in 1989, Backer signed Marcus Roberts, Roy Hargrove, Danilo Pérez, Antonio Hart, and Christopher Hollyday. The label closed in the mid-1990s.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Kennedy |first=Gary W. |title=Novus}}</ref><ref name="New Grove">{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Gary|editor1-last=Kernfeld|editor1-first=Barry|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz|date=2002|publisher=Grove's Dictionaries Inc.|location=New York|isbn=1-56159-284-6|page=177|volume=3|edition=2nd}}</ref> The catalogue is now managed by Sony Masterworks through its Masterworks Jazz imprint.
==Discography== ===3000-N (RCA) series=== *3000: Muhal Richard Abrams – ''Lifea Blinec'' *3001: Warren Bernhardt – ''Solo Piano'' *3002: Air – ''Open Air Suit'' *3003: Oliver Lake – ''Life Dance of Is'' *3004: Baird Hersey – ''Looking for That Groove'' *3005: Larry Coryell – ''European Impressions'' *3006: Ran Blake – ''Rapport'' *3007: Muhal Richard Abrams – ''Spiral Live at Montreux 1978'' *3008: Air – ''Montreux Suisse'' *3009: Mike Mainieri & Warren Bernhardt – ''Free Smiles'' *3010: Oliver Lake – ''Shine'' *3011: Warren Bernhardt – ''Floating'' *3012: Michael Gregory – ''Gifts'' *3013: Henry Threadgill – ''X-75 Volume 1'' *3014: Air – ''Air Lore'' *3015: Michael Gregory – ''Heart and Center'' *3016: Baird Hersey – ''Have You Heard?'' *3017: Larry Coryell – ''Tributaries'' *3018: John Scofield – ''Who's Who?'' *3019: Ran Blake – ''Film Noir'' *3020: Warren Bernhardt – ''Manhattan Update'' *3021: Pharoah Sanders & Norman Connors – ''Beyond a Dream'' *3022: John Scofield – ''Bar Talk'' *3023: Steve Khan – ''Evidence'' *3024: Larry Coryell – ''Standing Ovation'' *3025: Henry Threadgill – ''Easily Slip Into Another World'' *3032: Michael Shrieve & Steve Roach – ''The Leaving Time'' *3037: Liz Story – ''Speechless'' *3051: Marcus Roberts – ''The Truth is Spoken Here'' *3054: Chet Baker – ''Let's Get Lost'' *3070: Hugh Masekela – ''Uptownship'' *3084: Opafire – ''Opafire featuring Zachary Norman E.'' *3115: John Hicks, Cecil McBee & Elvin Jones – ''Power Trio''
===63000 (BMG) series=== *63119: Steve Coleman and Five Elements – ''Black Science'' *63125: Steve Coleman – ''Rhythm in Mind'' *63136: Hugh Masekela – ''Beatin' Aroun de Bush'' *63141: John Hicks - ''Friends Old and New'' *63144: Steve Coleman and Five Elements – ''Drop Kick'' *63153: Mulgrew Miller – ''Hand in Hand'' *63160: Steve Coleman and Five Elements – ''The Tao of Mad Phat'' *63171: Mulgrew Miller – ''With Our Own Eyes'' *63176: Opafire – ''Without a Trace'' *63188: Mulgrew Miller – ''Getting to Know You''
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{discogs artist|Arista+Novus}} * {{discogs label|Novus Novus}} – Some albums are erroneously filed there, such as AN 3007 - Muhal Richard Abrams - ''Spiral: Live at Montreux 1978'' * [http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/novus.htm Jazz Discography.com] * [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_label.php?id=1723&name=Arista+Novus Article by Robert Christgau]
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Category:American jazz record labels Category:Defunct record labels of the United States Category:Novus Records albums Category:Novus Records artists Category:Record labels established in 1978