Venus Records

An independent jazz label Venus Records was established by Mr. Tetsuo Hara in 1992. Having worked as a record producer for RCA and Alpha Records, Mr. Hara fulfilled his long-time dream of establishing his own label by releasing a new recording of Pharoah Sanders, one of the musicians he respects most.

Since then, Venus Records has released numerous piano trio albums led by Eddie Higgins, Steve Kuhn, Denny Zeitlin, Richie Beirach, Bill Charlap and others, as well as new recordings by horn players such as Barney Wilen, Phil Woods and Enrico Rava. The creative output of these artists was highly appreciated by the Japanese audience and the label's recognition grew.

Mr. Hara also cares about sound quality. Although there is some controversy surrounding the "loudness" of CDs, his signature 24-bit mastering process, dubbed "Hyper Magnum Sound," produces very powerful sound with strong presence, which is adored by many audiophiles. Under the vision of the strong-willed producer, Venus Records has, after 15 years, become one of the most popular and respected jazz labels in Japan.