About Us

Here’s what some of the critics have said about Arkadia Jazz:

Arkadia Jazz, one of the hippest and most uncompromising labels on today’s scene.

• Bob Young, Boston Herald

…someone’s doing something right at Arkadia Jazz. – Billboard

Some 15 years ago…Bob Karcy started V.I.E.W. Video, a cutting edge company that brought prerecorded video culture into the homes of thousands. Now Arkadia Jazz…(Karcy’s) fledgling label is off and running without a hitch. – David Zych, JazzTimes

Record labels often have been able to make a name for themselves in the way they treat jazz. Now, Bob Karcy wants his Arkadia Jazz to become a place where jazz musicians can produce recordings that make use of current advances in visual and audio technology. He also wants the products to be part of a marketing strategy that sometimes is lacking in the jazz business. Perhaps the best thing about his effort, though, is his taste in musicians.

• Bob Karlovits, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

With spring training in baseball and new labels in jazz, hope springs eternal. Arkadia is a brand new name on the street, and on the evidence of (Billy Taylor’s) Music Keeps Us Young, it could become an impact player. The presentation is first-class, with a four-color fold-out insert full of photos and documentation including insightful liner notes by Ira Gitler.

• Thomas Conrad, Down Beat

For a relatively new label, Arkadia is certainly making a resounding splash, amplifying excellent releases by Billy Taylor and Benny Golson with these vibrant new sessions by the Moscow Sax Quintet and Nova Bossa Nova. – Jack Bowers, Marge Hofacre’s Jazz News

One of the most exciting developments in jazz has been the recent cropping-up of new labels. A new Gotham-based outfit dubbed Arkadia Records is leading the pack with three powerful sessions featuring jazz masters. Producers at Arkadia have done their homework with first-rate mixing, clever graphics and thoughtful liner note segments In addition they have cleverly paired veteran stars with talented new faces, a practice that should help them sign quality musicians for their future productions. – Nick Catalano, Chelsea Clinton News

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Music is a Journey.

Jazz is getting lost.

– John O’Farrell

Jazz….nothing else will ever so perfectly capture the democratic process. Jazz means working things out musically with other people. You have to listen to other musicians and play with them even if you don’t agree with what they’re playing. It teaches you the very opposite of racism and anti-Semitism. It teaches you that the world is big enough to accommodate us all.  –  Wynton Marsalis