Babel Label
Babel Label is a jazz record label founded in 1994 by Oliver Weindling that specialises in British jazz, particularly the London scene. It released more than 130 recordings in its first 20 years, two of which were nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Babel Label
- Name
- Babel Label
- Founded
- 1994
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
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Documentary summary
Babel Label is a jazz record label founded in 1994 by Oliver Weindling that specialises in British jazz, particularly the London scene. It released more than 130 recordings in its first 20 years, two of which were nominated for the Mercury Prize.
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wikidata · Q2479745 · wikipedia · Babel Label
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Babel Label • Founded — 1994 • Founder — Oliver Weindling • Genre — Jazz • Country — UK • Location — London, England • Url — babellabel.co.uk
Formation
Formation
Weindling was a banker in England in the 1980s when his interest in jazz expanded beyond a hobby. He became acquainted with musicians from the British big band Loose Tubes and with Iain Ballamy and Billy Jenkins. Weindling began organising concerts for London musicians and found that CDs were essential to generate publicity. In 1994, Motivated by this and by the difficulty of releasing the music that he was interested in, Weindling started the label and named it after the Biblical tower.
Identity
Identity
Babel Label is associated with United Kingdom. Recorded from 1994.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1994
Babel Label established.
1994
Babel Label is recorded from 1994.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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- United Kingdom
Approach and releases
Despite being the label's owner and only full-time employee, Weindling does not seek to influence what the musicians play on the label's recordings. Although Babel is not formally linked with any studio or recording engineers, it tends to use a small number of each. Babel has released both studio and concert recordings. "Most releases are joint ventures with musicians licensing their recordings to Babel and after-cost profits [are] shared." In 2014, all of the label's releases were available on CD and as downloads, with some also available on vinyl. In its first two decades, Babel released more than 130 albums. Babel's catalogue includes albums by Jenkins, Steve Argüelles, Julian Argüelles, Huw Warren, Christine Tobin and Phil Robson. Held on the Tips of Fingers by Polar Bear and Knee-Deep in the North Sea by Portico Quartet were nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.London Jazz Festival Preview (15) Artists linked to the Babel Label. 9 November 2010.
- 2.Margasak, Peter. Babel Records Banks on the Long Term. DownBeat. 81. 5. 18. May 2014.
- 3.Baekgaard, Jakob. Babel Label: New Songs from the Tower of Sound. All About Jazz. 24 September 2012.
- 4.Waxman, Ken. Babel Label. The New York City Jazz Record. 141. 12, 39. January 2014.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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