Label Guide: Tappan Zee

Tappan Zee Records was founded in 1977 by jazz pianist Bob James, named for the Tappan Zee Bridge, the longest bridge in the State of New York. The new label was distributed by Columbia Records.

Moving on from his six years with CTI Records, Bob James and Tappan Zee were at the forefront of late 1970s Fusion Jazz. When that movement faded in the early 1980s, the label slowly became dormant and James left for Warner Bros. in 1985.