Arkadia Records was founded in 1995 by Bob Karcy, a lifelong music lover, musician and entrepreneur, when he realized that some of the most esteemed artists in jazz—all among his favorites—had recorded frequently, but without long-term label relationships. Karcy decided to offer those musical nomads a home.

The first release on the Arkadia Jazz imprint, pianist Billy Taylor’s The Music Keeps Us Young, appeared in spring 1997. Thus, in an important sense, 2022 represents the label’s real 25th anniversary.

From its inception, it was Arkadia Records’s mission to offer music from across the genre’s full gamut. Earliest signees ranged from the straight-ahead likes of Billy Taylor and Benny Golson to the idiosyncratic stylists Joanne Brackeen and Dave Liebman. Arkadia Records also welcomes lesser known but superlative talents in any style, including alto saxophonist T.K. Blue, pianists David Lahm and Uli Lenz, guitarist Nigel Clark as well as Brazilian bands Nova Bossa Nova and Pe De Boi. Its releases quickly received critical recognition for their high artistry, including four Grammy Award nominations in addition to numerous other accolades and awards. Arkadia Records most recent signing at the end of 2022 is outstanding vocalist JD Walter.

The label’s early success—coupled with Karcy’s eclectic tastes—soon allowed it to expand and broaden. Arkadia Jazz was quickly followed by Arkadia Chansons: an imprint created to house an important catalog of classic French popular music (including historic recordings by Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, and Josephine Baker, Maurice Chevalier among others).

Arkadia next acquired Postcards Records, adding over a dozen eclectic, adventurous albums to its holdings. This was far from a back-catalog asset, with Arkadia maintaining Postcards as an active imprint, issuing new albums by bassist Joris Teepe and classical-jazz crossover pianist Lara Downes in addition to legacy recordings by such legends as Reggie Workman, Paul Bley, Gary Peacock & Bill Frisell, Alan Pasqua, Julian Priester & Sam Rivers.

In 1998, Karcy brought together many of the label’s artists, together with renowned special guests, to form the Arkadia Jazz All-Stars. Arkadia’s new signature house recording group made a number of highly acclaimed recordings, including the Thank You series of tributes to John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Joe Henderson, and Gerry Mulligan.

Arkadia Records flourished into the 21st century, producing new recordings by saxophonist TK Blue, guitarist Nigel Clark, and pianists Uli Lenz and Paul Tobey as well as additional albums by Brackeen, Golson, Liebman, and Taylor. The label experienced a lull in new activity during the 2010s, a time of enormous transformation for the recording industry.

In 2021, however, Arkadia marked the dawn of a new decade with its own digital renaissance, releasing its complete catalogue on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal,, Deezer and all other streaming platforms. Moreover, 2022 saw see the release of several previously unissued recordings from the label’s archive (including sessions by Joanne Brackeen, TK Blue, and the Arkadia Jazz All-Stars, among others), as well as Arkadia’s first new album in years, Meet Tetel, the debut by an exciting new talent, singer-songwriter and violinist, Brazil’s Tetel Di Babuya. This is being followed with a new album by Arkadia Records newest signing, esteemed vocalist JD Walter, titled JD Walter: What the World Needs Now.