Atlantic Records: Classic Jazz

Founded by lifelong jazz fan Ahmet Ertegün in 1950, Atlantic Records quickly developed a reputation as a label that was both commercially canny and devoted to innovation. While the label made a huge splash with its massively successful R&B hits in the early '50s, Atlantic's jazz releases were often forward-thinking and boundary-pushing. Beginning in the late '50s, Atlantic released a series of genre-changing and career-defining offerings from post-war titans of the jazz avant-garde like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus and Art Blakey. The label also explored the less experimental and more audience-friendly side of jazz, with releases from cool pioneers Lee Konitz and Lennis Tristano, to albums by recognized pop stars like Ray Charles and Sergio Mendes.