Motéma Music is an independent American record label focused on jazz and world music, as well as other creative projects by virtuosic musicians and composers. It was founded by Jana Herzen in San Francisco in 2003, and is now based in Harlem, New York City. Among the artists on the label are Gregory Porter, Ginger Baker, Monty Alexander, Kellylee Evans, Randy Weston, Charnett Moffett, Geri Allen, Lynne Arriale, Rufus Reid, Marc Cary, Jean-Michel Pilc, Lakecia Benjamin, and René Marie. The name means "heart" in the African language of Lingala. Motéma has been described as "what Blue Note was to the jazz labels of the 60s...for the 21st century" and "a welcoming beacon, documenting brilliant improvisers who are rapidly expanding the art form."
Motéma Music was begun in the San Francisco Bay Area. A production company since 1997, it became a label after signing Babatunde Lea for his album, Soul Pools. Jana Herzen, a singer-songwriter who composed and performed on "'Round the World" on Soul Pools, was trying to get out some records and created the label to do so, never intending to be a CEO. Herzen chose the name because of its similarity to the sound of "Motown".
Herzen moved the label to New York in 2005 to be closer to the action. At one time, the label was based in the third floor of the Langston Hughes House. The label has since changed locations but remains in Harlem. The Motéma logo was designed by Winston Smith.
The label is very artist-centric and focuses on each artist's individual development. It is because of this reputation that such highly respected artists such as Geri Allen and Rufus Reid came to the label. Herzen attributes this to her being an artist herself.
Roni Ben-Hur and Jana Herzen founded the Jazz Therapy series as a benefit for the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund of the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation in Englewood, New Jersey, which underwrites medical care for uninsured jazz musicians who are unable to pay for medical care. The series so far has included CDs by Ben-Hur and Ithamara Koorax and Juarez Moreira. Ben-Hur met Nilson Matta in the performance lounge of Englewood Hospital, which led to their collaboration on the third release in the series.
Babatunde Lea - Soul Pools with Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Hilton Ruiz, John Benîtez, Mario Rivera, Kevin Jones, Jana Herzen, Raul Midon, Ernie Watts, Geoff Brennan 7-09363-7136-2Babatunde Lea - Level of Intent with Jon Faddis, Charnette Moffett [sic], Hilton Ruiz, Frank Colón, John Purcell, Frank Lacy, Tommy James, Santi Debriano, Kenny Barron, Marvin Horn 8-20320-0047-2 (reissue of a 1996 Diaspora Records album)Lynne Arriale Trio (Jay Anderson, Steve Davis) - Arise MTM71372Babatunde Lea - Suite Unseen: Summoner of the Ghost with Steve Rurre, Richard Howell, Glen Pearson, Geoff Brennan, Ron Belcher, Bujo Kevin Jones MTM 00002Jana Herzen - Soup's on Fire MOTEMA 6681-2Discomind - The Fresh Turnout unnumbered [digital download; physical CDs are promotional items only]DJ Jackie Christie - Made 4 U RAD 90079-2Lynn Arriale Trio (Jay Anderson, Steve Davis) - Come Together MTM 00001Marc Cary - Focus with David Ewell, Sameer Gupta MTM-00005Bujo Kevin Jones with Kelvin Sholar, George Makinto, Brian Horton, Kevin Louis, Damon Warmack, Jamieo Brown - Tenth World MTM 0000-3Kit McClure Band - Just the Thing: The Sweethearts Project Revisited RH 9005Lynne Arrialle Trio (Jay Anderson, Steve Davis) - Live MTM-00007Marc Cary & Shon 'Chance' Miller - XR Project: AbStraKt|BlaK MTM-00004Pete Levin - Deacon Blues featuring Joe Beck, Mike DeMicco, Danny Gottlieb, Tony Levin, Ken Lovelett, Carlos Valdez MTM-0008Roni Ben-Hur - Keepin' It Open with Jeremy Pelt, Ronnie Mathews, Santi Debriano, Lewis Nash, Steve Kroon 232537Rufus Reid Quintet (Sumi Tonooka, Tim Horner, Freddie Hendrix, Rich Perry) - Live at the Kennedy Center MTM-00009 (CD+DVD)Ryan Cohan - One Sky with Bob Sheppard, Geof Bradfield, Tito Carillo, James Cammack, Lorin Cohen, Kobie Watkins, Ruben Alvarez, Jean-Christophe Leroy MTM-00012Amy London - When I Look in Your Eyes featuring John Hicks, Lee Musiker, Roni Ben-Hur, Rufus Reid, Leroy Williams, Chris Byars MTM-00011KJ Denhert - Lucky 7 MTM-00014Antonio Ciacca Quintet (Kengo Nakamura, Rodney Green, Stacy Dillard, Joe Magnarelli) - Rush Life 232536Bujo Kevin Jones - Bujo Kevin Jones & Tenth World Live! with Kelvin Sholar, Brian Horton, Kevin Louis, Joshua David, Jaimeo Brown MTM-00020KJ Denhert - Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz with Bennett Paster, Ray Lavier, Mamadou Ba, John Caban, and featuring Aaron Heick MTM - 00017The New Jazz Composers Octet - The Turning Gate MTM-00019Roni Ben-Hur, Gene Bertoncini - Smile: Jazz Therapy, Volume 1 MTM - 00018Lynne Arriale - Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions featuring Randy Brecker, George Mraz, Anthony Pinciotti MTM-00022Charnett Moffett - The Art of Improvisation with Will Calhoun, Yunchen Lhamo, Pat Jones MTM-21Sertab Erener, Demir Demirkan - Painted on Water MTM23Oran Etkin - Kelenia MTM - 24Tessa Souter - Obsession MTM-27Babatunde Lea's Umbo Weti: A Tribute to Leon Thomas with Dwight Trible, Ernie Watts, Patrice Rushen, Gary Brown MTM-25Alexis Cole - The Greatest Gift MTM-26N.E.D. - No Evidence of Disease MTM-29Ithamara Koorax, Juarez Moreira - Bim Bom - The Complete João Gilberto Songbook (Jazz Therapy, Vol. 2) MTM-30Roni Ben-Hur - Fortuna with Ronnie Mathews, Rufus Reid, Lewis Nash, Steve Kroon MTM-282009 Motéma Summer SamplerAntonio Ciacca Quintet (Kengo Nakamura, Ulysses Owens, Stacy Dillard, Steve Grossman) - Lagos Blues MTM-322009 Motéma Winter SamplerRufus Reid featuring Steve Allee & Duduka da Fonseca - Out Front MTM-36Tomoko Sugawara - Along the Silk Road with Robert Dick and Ozan Aksöy MTM-31Geri Allen - Flying Toward the Sound MTM-37Lynne Arriale - Solo MTM-38 [unreleased]Sertab Erener, Demir Demirkan - Love (EP) MTM-44 [digital download; only promo CDs exist]Marc Cary - Focus Trio Live 2009 MTM-33Patrick Stanfield Jones - A Heart and an Open Road with Barry Wiesenfeld, Don Gardner, Steven 'Muddy' Roues, Rave Tesar, Jana Herzen, Kit McClure, Erik Lawrence, Chip Larison MTM-39Gregory Porter - Water MTM-41Charnett Moffett - Treasure MTM-43Geri Allen and Timeline - Live MTM-42Ryan Cohan - Another Look MTM-45Motéma Music Summer Sampler 2010Oran Etkin - Wake Up Clarinet! MTM-TMB-46-1Sameer Gupta - Namaskar with Marc Cary, Pt. Ramesh Misra, Srinivas Reddy, David Boyce, Prasant Radhakrishnan, Charith Premawardanan, David Ewell MTM-49Randy Weston - The Storyteller MTM-51KJ Denhert - Album No. 9 MTM-47Bettina Jonic - The Bitter Mirror: Songs by Bob Dylan and Bertolt Brecht MTM-50 (reissue of 1975 album)Lynne Arriale - Convergence MTM-54Rondi Charleston - Who Knows Where the Time Goes with Dave Stryker, James Genus, Clarence Penn, Lynne Arriale, Brandon McCune, Mayra Casales MTM-55Amy London - Let's Fly featuring Roni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano, Steve Williams, Steve Kroon, Tadro Hammer, Glauco Sagebin, Richard Wyands MTM-56T.K. Blue - Latin Bird featuring Willie Martinez, Roland Guerrero, Essiet O. Essiet, Theo Hill and special guests Lewis Nash, Steve Turre MTM-572011 Motéma Music SamplerRufus Reid & Out Front (Steve Allee & Duduka da Fonseca) featuring Toninho Horta, Bobby Watson, Freddie Hendrix, JD Allen - Hues of a Different Blue MTM-58René Marie - Voice of My Beautiful Country MTM-59Malika Zarra - Berber Taxi MTM-60Nilson Matta and Roni Ben-Hur with Victor Lewis and Café - Mojave - Jazz Therapy, Vol. 3 MTM-64Jean-Michel Pilc - Essential MTM-61Roseanna Vitro - The Music of Randy Newman, arranged by Mark Soskin with Sara Caswell, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner, Jamey Haddad, Steve Cardenas MTM-65Monty Alexander - Harlem - Kingston Express Live! with Karl Wright, Yotam Silberstein, Hassan Shakur, Obed Calvaire. Robert Thomas, Hoova Simpson, Andy Bassford MTM-67JC Stylles featuring Pat Bianchi and Lawrence Leathers - Exhilaration and Other States MTM-68Geri Allen - A Child Is Born MTM-69A Moving Sound - A Moving Sound [compilation from their second and third albums] MTM-71Pilc Moutin Hoenig - Threedom MTM-72David Murray Cuban Ensemble - Plays Nat King Cole en Español with special guests Daniel Melingo, Juanjo Mosalini, The Sinfonieta of Sines MTM-73René Marie - Black Lace Freudian Slip with Kevin Bales, Rodney Jordan, Kenneth Baxter, Quentin Baxter, Bill Kopper, Lionel Young, Dexter Payne, Michael A. Croan MTM-74Pilc Moutin Hoenig - ThreedomGregory Porter - 1960 What? The RemixesDennis Rollins Velocity Trio - The 11th GateElio Villafranca, Arturo Stable - Dos y MasGregory Porter - Be GoodLynne Arriale - SiraJoe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group - SigningAblaye Cissoko / Volker Goetze - Amanke DiontiTessa Souter - Beyond The BlueBrazilian Trio - ConstelaçãoThe Cookers - BelieveLakecia Benjamin - RetoxRoni Ben-Hur, Santi Debriano - Our ThingAlexis Cole, Jeremy Kahn, Frank Basile, Kevin Bales, et al. - Joy Road: The Complete Works of Pepper Adams, Volumes 1-5David Murray Infinity Quartet featuring Macy Gray & Gregory Porter - Be My Monster Love MTM 112Geri Allen - Grand River Crossings MTM 128'The Joe Locke Quartet with Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra - Wish Upon A StarArturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - The Offense of the DrumGinger Baker - Why?Kellylee Evans - I Remember WhenOmer Avital - New SongOran Etkin - Gathering LightThe Cookers - Time and Time AgainBrian Jackson & Kentyah Frazer - Evolutionary Minded, furthering the Legacy of Gil Scott-HeronJoe Locke - Love Is A PendulumArturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - Cuba: The Conversation ContinuesShai Maestro Trio - Untold Stories
