Good Time Jazz

Lester Koenig's Dixieland and traditional jazz label created in May 1949; became the sister label to his Contemporary Records, launched two years later. The label was responsible for the 1950s revival of Dixieland jazz and recording New Orleans Dixieland legends Kid Ory, Turk Murphy, Lu Watters and Bunk Johnson as well as the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a Dixieland combo led by Disney animators Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas (2) and jazz traditionalists George Smith and Harlem stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith. Good Time Jazz was closed down in 1969 and sold to Fantasy along with its parent Contemporary Records in 1984. Fantasy issued anthologies and reissued a number of the LPs; in 1993, the label was revived with new recordings by The Silver Leaf Jazz Band, Jacques Gauthe, Scott Black's Hot Horns and other New Orleans-based muscians.