Hagan Records new on scene with Brazilian jazz CD

BOULDER — Frank Hagan is the prince of side jobs. In fact, his career is a series of successful side jobs strung together. His latest endeavor is a record company, Hagan Records, based in Boulder.

Hagan started the small record company at the beginning of the year as a means of boosting Brazilian jazz musician Chico Meira. Meira is releasing his first recording, also the company’s first release, “Samba Groove.”

“We have been friends, and I’ve listened to Chico’s music for years,” Hagan said. “I encouraged him over the course of a year to record.”

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Hagan, his wife, Yolanda, and Meira’s sister Cenir Arruda formed the record company at the end of 1999 and recorded the inaugural CD in October and November at Coupe Studios in Boulder. Hagan says he funded most of the $12,000 project, which included recording fees, musicians, legal fees and printing 1,000 CDs. “Pretty low budget for a quality recording,” Hagan said. Samba Groove sells for $15.

The record company wants to bring sophisticated acoustic music to Boulder and Denver through CD sales at Wax Trax, Namaste and Burt’s CD Cellar. The CD is also available in Denver at Twist and Shout. Hagan is investigating putting Samba Groove on the Internet and is planning on having a Web site. Hagan Records will also market the CD in Japan, where Hagan says there is a “big market for Brazilian music.”

On his first Brazilian jazz CD, Chico Meira plays with such notables as Aloisio Aguiar, a pianist who has worked with Flora Perim, Ron Carter and Herbie Mann; bass player Nilson Matta; and Claudio Slon of Denver. Samba Groove is the 100th CD Slon has recorded. He has played with Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock and Sergio Mendez on the classic CD, “The Wave.”

“We brought in three incredible Brazilian jazz musicians to record the CD,” Hagan said. “This was the first one to get my feet wet. There are some other artists I want to do CDs with.”

The CD release party will be May 26-27 at 8:30 p.m. at Vartan Jazz in Denver, 18th Street and Glenarm.

For information about the CD or the party, call Cenir Arruda, (303) 541-9005, or e-mail Cenir@aol.com.