CTI Records

CTI on vinyl: seventies jazz with polish

In short: Producer Creed Taylor made CTI his own label in 1970, after starting the series at A&M. CTI stood for jazz with a big sound: stars like Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine, strings and horns, mostly recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s, packaged in gatefold sleeves with large photos by Pete Turner. The Vinyl Room currently has 33 CTI records.

From our stock

CTI first pressings

Jazz-funk & fusion

Soul jazz & post bop

New in

→ A&M · Kudu · Jazz-funk · Jazz on vinyl

What makes CTI special?

We have the label’s big names: Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine – also together “In Concert” –, flautist Hubert Laws with “The Chicago Theme”, George Benson live at Carnegie Hall and with Joe Farrell, Milt Jackson with “Olinga”, Ron Carter with “Spanish Blue” and Paul Desmond with “Pure Desmond”.

Brazilian keyboardist Deodato scored a hit on CTI with his version of “Also Sprach Zarathustra”; we have “Deodato 2”. Add the vocal duo Jackie & Roy with “A Wilder Alias”, Urbie Green and Fuse One from the early eighties.

FAQ

What does CTI stand for? Creed Taylor Incorporated, after producer Creed Taylor.

How do you recognise CTI records? Many classic CTI releases stand out with gatefold sleeves featuring photos by Pete Turner. The label print and catalogue number help with identification.

What is Kudu? A CTI sublabel for soul jazz and funk, for example with Grover Washington Jr.

What do you have on CTI? Jazz-funk, fusion and soul jazz mainly from the seventies, plus some early-eighties releases – 33 records in all.