SLAM Productions is a free jazz, contemporary jazz and improvised recorded music label founded by saxophonist George Haslam in 1989, which has released over 250 albums.
George explains how SLAM came into being:
“In 1989 I decided to record some solo improvisations on baritone sax – I had previously made a couple of LPs on Tony Williams‘ Spotlite label but the improvised music would be outside the recognised field of Spotlite. With advice from 1 or 2 small label owners – notably Eddie Prevost (Matchless) – I decided to do it myself. In the event I made the CD with Paul Rutherford, solo tracks by each of us and duo tracks. The CD was called 1989 – And All That and I used the name SLAM. The following year I played a wonderful concert in the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, with Paul, Lol Coxhill and Howard Riley. It was recorded and released as a second CD. A little later Howard came to me with a great recording by the quartet he was co-leading with Elton Dean and he asked if I may be interested in releasing it on “my label” – that was the first time I thought of it as a label.
During the next decade the catalogue took shape, centring on the British free jazz scene of the 1990s, including lesser-known practitioners from various parts of the country and a good percentage of female artists. Obviously there is a large section occupying my own recordings – that was the original purpose of the label; I have tried to include recordings made in different countries I have visited, with musicians from those countries. The final section is recordings by foreign artists, including some major names – Max Roach, Mal Waldron, Steve Lacy, Jaki Byard, Roswell Rudd – whom I have had opportunities to know – and some the honour to play with. This section of the catalogue has expanded significantly, with recordings from Italy, Serbia, Finland, USA, Switzerland, Russia, Cuba, Argentina, Estonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Chile, Ireland, Greece and more countries.
For any successful germination the right conditions must come together – artists, venues, support… and recording experts. In Oxford were 2 of the greatest, Michael Gerzon and Tim Turan. Sadly Michael is no longer with us but Tim has worked on many of our releases. Eric Smith of Monstersound Studios has also been responsible for recording, mixing and mastering many of the UK based discs.”
In 2021 George announced that Cedrus Libani by the Italian jazz trio HackOut! would be SLAM’s final release, so after over 250 releases that crossed the whole spectrum of jazz and improvised music it appeared to be the final curtain for SLAM…
However, in 2023, 34 years after George Haslam started the label, it was announced that the ownership and running of SLAM Productions has been taken over by Jon Griffiths / My Only Desire Records. New releases are in production but in the meantime, we have migrated the catalogue to Bandcamp, YouTube and Discogs Marketplace, with free shipping on UK sales and reduced shipping prices for international orders. Please give SLAM a follow on Bandcamp, YouTube and via our new social accounts, which can all be found here.
“Slam was founded and operated by British baritone saxophonist George Haslam, and which in the last 25 years released some of the most fascinating avant-garde music recorded on the British Isles.” – Adam Baruch – The Soundtrack of My Life