MPS Records

Sub-label of edel music & entertainment GmbH

100 releases 11 sub-labels 1967–2025

About

German jazz label founded in 1968 in Villingen by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer as a successor to SABA. MPS stands for Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (Music Production Black Forest), but was later advertised as Most Perfect Sound. It is often referred to as a German equivalent of Blue Note, a jazz label famed for its sound. The releases were distributed from 1971 by BASF and from 1976 by Metronome Records GmbH (renamed Metronome Musik GmbH in 1977). In 1983, when the budgets for recording jazz had irrevocably dwindled, Brunner-Schwer switched to recording classical music for his HGBS label and sold the rights to MPS to Philips, which then transferred it to Polydor, whose sister company Motor Music began re-releasing MPS recordings in 1993. In 1999, the MPS archives were handed over to Universal Jazz Germany in Hamburg. Several vinyl reissues were also released by Speakers Corner Records. On January 7, 2014, ten years after Brunner-Schwer's death, Edel acquired MPS's back catalogue from Universal and his son Andreas Brunner-Schwer and long-time colleague Friedhelm Schulz now head the team recording once again in Villingen. The label was official relaunched in 2022 when key releases from its catalogue were reissued on CD and limited-edition vinyl in partnership with New York-based Bob Frank Entertainment. Label code: LC 0979 / LC 00979. Studio: MPS-Studio, Villingen. Record company: MPS Records GmbH (until August 1983).

Top MPS Records Releases

Tristeza on Guitar
Baden Powell
1966
Os afro-sambas
Baden & Vinícius participação Quarteto em Cy
1966
Soaring
Soaring
Don Ellis
1973
Noisy Silence — Gentle Noise
Noisy Silence — Gentle Noise
The Dave Pike Set
1969
Intercontinental
Joe Pass
1970
Magic Peterson Sunshine
Magic Peterson Sunshine
Gilles Peterson
2016
Tracks
Tracks
Oscar Peterson
1970
Three Originals
Baden Powell
1993
Walking The Line
The Oscar Peterson Trio
2014
Spectrum
Spectrum
Volker Kriegel
1971
The Aura Will Prevail
The Aura Will Prevail
George Duke
1975
Motions and Emotions
Motions and Emotions
Oscar Peterson
1969
The Inner Source
The Inner Source
George Duke
1973
The Hub of Hubbard
The Hub of Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
1969
Symbiosis
Symbiosis
Bill Evans
1994
Feel
Feel
George Duke
1974
Another Day
The Oscar Peterson Trio
1971
Mirror, Mirror
Mirror, Mirror
Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins
1980
Hello Herbie
Hello Herbie
The Oscar Peterson Trio & Herb Ellis
1970
Clark After Dark
Clark After Dark
Clark Terry
2007
Just In Time
The Singers Unlimited
1978
Sunday Walk
Jean‐Luc Ponty
1967
Canto on Guitar
Baden Powell
1970
Afternoon in Paris
Afternoon in Paris
Stéphane Grappelli
1971
Masterpieces
Masterpieces
The Dave Pike Set
1996
Psychedelic Jazz Guitar
Psychedelic Jazz Guitar
Volker Kriegel
2010
Great Connection
Great Connection
Oscar Peterson
1974
Three Originals, Volume 2
Oscar Peterson
1993
Tristeza on Piano
Oscar Peterson Trio
1970
Infra-Red
Infra-Red
The Dave Pike Set
1970
Mathar / I'm on My Way
Mathar / I'm on My Way
The Dave Pike Set
1969
Sentimental Journey
The Singers Unlimited
1976
Sentimental Journey (Jazz Club)
The Singers Unlimited
2014
Eternal Rhythm
Eternal Rhythm
Don Cherry
1969
Talkin' Jazz
Various Artists
2007
Compact Jazz: Stéphane Grappelli & Jean-Luc Ponty
Compact Jazz: Stéphane Grappelli & Jean-Luc Ponty
Stéphane Grappelli & Jean‐Luc Ponty
1988
Topical Harvest
Topical Harvest
Volker Kriegel
1976
The Complete A Capella Sessions
The Singers Unlimited
2006
Three Originals, Volume 1
Oscar Peterson
1993
The Best Of The MPS Years
The Best Of The MPS Years
Oscar Peterson
2022
We've Only Just Begun
Monty Alexander Trio
1972
See the Woman
Mari Boine
2017
Call
Michael Naura Quartet
1971
Three Originals
Three Originals
George Duke
1993
By All Means
Alphonse Mouzon
1981
Faces in Reflection
Faces in Reflection
George Duke
1973
Hamp's Piano
Hamp's Piano
Hampton Hawes
2011
Open Mind
Jean‐Luc Ponty
1984
In Tune
The Oscar Peterson Trio + The Singers Unlimited
2005
Mild Maniac
Mild Maniac
Volker Kriegel & Spectrum
1974
For Nightpeople Only
Horst Jankowski
2009
A Day in Copenhagen
Dexter Gordon & Slide Hampton
1969
Estudos
Baden Powell
1974
Play Chords
Milt Buckner
Christmas Soul
Christmas Soul
Barbara Dennerlein
2015
Christmas
The Singers Unlimited
1996
Classics in Rhythm
Classics in Rhythm
Eugen Cicero
1986
Inside: Missing Link
Inside: Missing Link
Volker Kriegel
1972
Jankowskeynotes
Horst Jankowski and His Studio Orchestra
1970
Yellow + Blue
Rolf Kühn
2018
Big Band Man
Peter Herbolzheimer
2008
Canyon Songs
Lisa Bassenge
2015
Album
Album
The Dave Pike Set
1971
Magic Voices
The Singers Unlimited
1998
Common Ground
Robben Ford & Bill Evans
2022
The Selfkicker
Jasper van ’t Hof
1976
Here and Now
The Third Wave
1970
Piano Solo
Joachim Kühn
1972
The Door Is Open
Jasper van’t Hof’s Pork Pie
1976
The Way We Are
The Way We Are
George Shearing, The Quintet and Amigos
1974
The Oimels
Wolfgang Dauner Quintet
1969
Midnight Mood
Midnight Mood
Mark Murphy
1968
Das Wohltemperierte Klavier
Johann Sebastian Bach; Friedrich Gulda
1991
Young Django
Young Django
Stéphane Grappelli
1993
Values
Jiggs Whigham
1971
Reunion Blues
Reunion Blues
Oscar Peterson & Milt Jackson
1971
Rass!
Monty Alexander with Ernest Ranglin
1974

MPS Records Artist Roster

Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
17 releases
Person
Albert Mangelsdorff
Albert Mangelsdorff
16 releases
Person
Volker Kriegel
Volker Kriegel
14 releases
Person
Various Artists
Various Artists
10 releases
Other
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander
10 releases
Person
The Dave Pike Set
The Dave Pike Set
10 releases
Group
Friedrich Gulda
Friedrich Gulda
10 releases
Person
George Duke
George Duke
10 releases
Person
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
9 releases
Person
AV
Art van Damme
9 releases
Person
BP
Baden Powell
8 releases
Person
Peter Herbolzheimer
Peter Herbolzheimer
7 releases
Person
George Shearing
George Shearing
7 releases
Person
Martial Solal
Martial Solal
7 releases
Person
JP
Jean‐Luc Ponty
6 releases
Person
Joachim Kühn
Joachim Kühn
6 releases
Person
Wolfgang Dauner
Wolfgang Dauner
6 releases
Person