Education
Bucknell University.
Bucknell University.
In a career spanning half a century, Bruce Lundvall signed a wide array of artists, including Willie Nelson, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Woody Shaw, James Taylor, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Richard Marx, Natalie Cole, Cassandra Wilson, Anita Baker, and Norah Jones. He headed the following labels: Blue Note Records (jazz), Angel Records (classical), and Manhattan Records (adult popular). Lundvall began his music career in marketing at Columbia Records where he remained for 21 years, becoming President of the domestic division of Columbia Broadcasting System Records in 1976.
In the course of his tenure, he built Columbia"s jazz roster into the largest of any major label.
In 1979, Bruce Lundvall organized and sponsored in Havana, Cuba, the Havana Jam festival that took place between 2–4 March, with Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Stephen Stills, the Columbia Broadcasting System Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnigan, Weather Report, and Billy Joel, plus an array of Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines, and Orquesta Aragón. Their performances are captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos"s documentary Havana Jam "79, and on the two Columbia albums Havana Jam and Havana Jam World War II Lundvall moved to Elektra in 1982, where he became President of Elektra Records and the newly created Elektra/Musician Jazz label.
In 1984, he was approached with an offer to create Manhattan, a popular music label based on the East Coast, for Electric and Music Industries, as well as to revive the suspended Blue Note jazz label. Lundvall accepted the challenge and steered the label for a quarter of a century.
He was responsible for signing an unknown Norah Jones.
Jones"s debut Come Away With Maine, and her subsequent albums, have sold in their millions internationally. Lundvall stood down as President of Blue Note in 2010. In January 2012, Don Was became President of Blue Note, having been appointed Chief Executive Officer the previous year, with Lundvall becoming Chairman Emeritus.
Bruce Lundvall died of complications from a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease on May 19, 2015, in Wycoff, New Jersey.
He was a member of the Jazz Foundation of America Board of Directors Advisory Committee.