Smoke Sessions Records

Smoke jazz club started the label in 2014.[1] The co-founders were Frank Christopher and Paul Stache; Damon Smith was added to the organization soon afterwards.[2]

In its first year, a vinyl sampler and nine CDs were released.[3] The music is mostly post-bop jazz.[3] Early releases included recordings led by Harold Mabern, Vincent Herring, Javon Jackson, and David Hazeltine.[1] They were recorded in concert at the club and were engineered by Stache.[2]

Releases are usually taken from recordings of concerts in the club.[3] A late 2014 list of recording equipment included: "a matched pair of Schoeps Mk. 4 and a Neuman U87 microphones on the piano; U47 and Royer 122Vs on tenor sax; RCA 77 ribbons on alto sax; a vintage RCA 44 and a Coles 4038 on trumpets; an RCA 44 and Sennheister 409 on bass; and, for drums, a pair of Neuman KM84s and a Coles 4038 overhead, a D12 or FET47 on the bass drum, and an SM57 on the snare".[3]