Motéma Music Turns 15: Jazz, Soul, World Music & More

On West 127th Street, inside the Harlem brownstone where she runs Motéma Music, label founder Jana Herzen, 58, sits in a high-ceilinged office with a stack of CDs in front of her. In recent years, an array of jazz, soul and world music artists have knocked on Herzen’s door and auditioned for her.
                                                 

Motéma has launched the careers of jazz-soul singer Gregory Porter, child-prodigy pianist Joey Alexander and Latin-funk bandleader Pedrito Martinez, among many others. It also has given refuge to veteran artists from major-label upheavals, including National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master pianist Randy Weston, pianist Monty Alexander, vocalist René Marie and the late pianist Geri Allen. In 2014, the label also released Why?, the first album in 13 years from former Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

How did you transition from theater to being a singer-songwriter?

I left the theater to pursue my muse as a musician. I traveled around the world and eventually recorded an album [Soup’s On Fire] produced by a French African [Shaka Ra Mutela]. That was in 1999. When I was promoting it, I got the idea of starting my own label. I got a couple of bites to sign, but I decided to do the DIY thing that led me to make it grow by promoting other people.

You went from artist to entrepreneur?

I had this huge learning curve, and [former Narada label executive] David Neidhardt helped me figure out how to run a label. We got noticed at the center of the jazz scene at the time. People like Todd Barkan at Jazz at Lincoln Center helped me to meet the right people musically, like [pianist] Randy Weston. I came from way outside of the jazz world, so I knew I could bring a new flavor in my approach to it.

How did you finance the label in the beginning?

I came into a little bit of money. My parents were arts supporters. Through their scientific work, significant patent money emerged. They told me at one point, “If there’s anything you want to do, talk to us, and maybe we can support you.”